The Z Project
by MiggyMeista
Summary: Gill and Urien's father takes over the Illuminati and hosts a tournament, takes place thirteen years after SF3:TS. Contains many OCs and of course some SF characters, Story is now complete. Please R
1. Z Project List of Who's Who

The Z Project List of Who's who

Hi folks, I'm here with a new fic that I will be working on. It's quite serious in tone. But don't worry; it'll still have its funny moments. This fic takes place after Street Fighter III that way it gives me some leeway with the storyline because we don't know what many of the SF characters were doing after SF3. Here is a list of who's who in the fic, although many of them are my original characters, there are still SF characters fighting in the fic.

Alex: The SF3 champ is making his return.

Amy: The daughter of Guile (she is an official Capcom character)

Brock Irvine: My OC, he's an Australian surfer trained by Sagat.

Chela Castillo: My OC, a Mexican pop singer trained by Dee Jay.

Datta: The son of Dhalsim (also and official Capcom character)

Frederick Lowe: My OC, a college student and Tae Kwon Do expert.

Godo Kanzuki: My OC, the son of Karin Kanzuki.

Hans Van Bratten: My OC, a German bodybuilder trained by Hugo.

Ibuki: Returning from SF3, a very cute ninja chick.

Isabella DiMarino: My OC, an Italian woman possessed by the soul of Rose.

Kiyomi: The adopted daughter of Chun-Li, an official Capcom character although they never gave her a name. So I made a name up for her.

Makoto: Returning from SF3, Ibuki's rival.

Marcos Ortega: My OC, a young boxer trained by Dudley.

Mel Masters: The son of Ken Masters, he is also an official Capcom character.

Mitsukake Kagatoshi: A character created by my friend Chan.

Oblique: A mutated Russian convict.

Pietro Omakovski: My OC, A Canadian hockey player with a short fuse. Knows Remy.

Q: Returning from SF3, the mysterious trench coat clad fighter.

Quock Xie: My OC, a Hong Kong film star trained by Fei Long.

Ryu: The only returning character that didn't debut in SF3.

Sano Tezuka: My OC, a Bushin ninja adopted and trained by Maki and Cody.

Scott K. Wagner: A character created by my friend Jami AKA iceangelmkx.

Sean Matsuda: Returning from SF3, the first student of Ken Masters.

Skye Hawk: My OC, the daughter of Thunder Hawk.

Tomoko Nakamura: My OC, a wild Japanese biker girl, and a friend of Edmond Honda.

Unoka Muir: My OC, an African Capoeira expert, the younger brother of Elena.

Vicki Small: My OC, a U.S. Secret Service agent.

Wilfred Black: My OC, a middle aged British aristocrat, trained by Eagle.

Xavier Jackson: My OC, a pro wrestler managed by R. Mika

Yang Lee: Returning from SF3, a Kung Fu expert.

Yin Lee: A character created by my friend DeNice.

Yun Lee: Returning from SF3, Yang's twin brother.

Zephyr: My OC, the boss of The Z Project and the father of Gill and Urien.

These are all the people who will fight in the fic, I'll explain more on my original characters stories in later chapters, I'll also post their profiles on my account profile, other SF characters will appear as well, they just won't be fighting. Also know that I don't own SF, it is property of Capcom. I hope you people will like this, for it will span about 60 to 70 chapters.


	2. Zephyr's Entrance

Chapter 1: Zephyr's Entrance

Disclaimer: I do not own Street Fighter for it is property of Capcom.

It was late at night, around midnight, at the location of the Illuminati organization, the deity known as Gill gazed at some of the paperwork his secretary Kolin was going over with him.

"I see what you mean Kolin, keep an eye on this person, he might be worthy to be a Messiah to lead these people to utopia," said Gill.

"Yes sir," responded Kolin.

"And please, go do some more research on him. I need more information about this fellow," ordered Gill.

"I will get right on it," affirmed Kolin.

As Kolin left the room, the half red, half blue being sat down in his throne and gazed up at the night sky, thoughts began to swarm to his mind, of the impending Judgment Day, and the responsibility he was being burdened with.

"Judgment Day grows nearer, and I must lead the people of the world into my utopia, but I cannot escape this uneasy feeling that the day of reckoning may be coming sooner than I thought," Gill said to himself.

Gill continued to ponder on those thoughts for a while until his younger brother, a warrior with the same build as him, dark brown skin color, and ghost whit hair came in and broke Gill's train of thought.

"Urien, what news do have to bring to me?" asked Gill.

"The mutant that recently escaped from us has been spotted in Russia, I sent Twelve to go intercept him and bring him back to us," answered Urien.

"Do you think he can get the job done?" questioned Gill.

"Twelve should take care of him no problem, as long as the mutant doesn't interface with our other renegade," assured Urien.

"Ah yes, Necro, I thought recapturing him would be easy, but he is very crafty, you know Urien, if Twelve fails to capture him, I am going to put an end to our G Project experiment, after all, what do we need these mutants for?" asked Gill.

"To take over the world brother," answered Urien.

"I am not interested in taking over this world, I am here to save these people from an inevitable doom," retorted Gill.

"Brother, we are like gods, we could save the humans, but we should also make them fear us, for they are inferior life forms," stated Urien.

"No brother, a god must be revered by his people, not feared," responded Gill.

As the two brothers continued to argue their points over the fate of humanity, a bright flash of light emitted from the sky. The flash was so luminous; it could blind life forms not on the planet.

"What on Earth is going on?" asked both brothers in unison.

The light crashed down onto Illuminati territory, Gill and Urien quickly dashed over to where it landed. The light still shone brightly but then began to change colors as it took a form.

"It can't be, he wouldn't come here would he," thought Gill and Urien.

As the light faded, the form of the figure became clear, he had a build similar to the brothers but slightly taller and more muscular, he stood clad in white shorts like a person would wear when working out at a gym. His silver colored hair blew around as if there was a breeze at the moment, his skin constantly changing colors. His onyx black eyes gazed at Gill and Urien, who just stared at the figure with their mouths agape.

"Hmm, you two seem surprised to see me. I guess that was to be expected, as it's been a while since I haven't seen your faces in years," said the figure.

Several Illuminati members ran over to where their lord was and also stood in awe as they gazed at the figure that shocked their master just as much as them.

"Father, what brings you here?" asked Gill.

Upon hearing Gill call the mystery being "Father" the Illuminati members engaged in musing amongst themselves.

"That's our master's father?"

"He's a scary one."

"Strong family resemblance."

"Is he gonna kill us all?"

"Quiet you worms!" screamed Gill and Urien's father.

All the Illuminati members immediately silenced themselves out of fear. You could hear crickets chirping, that's how silent it was.

"About my presence here, I'm disappointed in the way you've been running this organization, why are you bothering to bring these lowly Homo sapiens into our utopia?" questioned the father.

"Because they have life, just like you and me, and my brother. Just because we have godlike powers does not mean humans are not worthy to live!" yelled Gill.

"I'm tired of this bullshit that you speak, you're disgracing me my son, I don't like this prophecy of yours one bit!" retorted the father.

"Well this is my destiny, I can't stop it, I must lead the people to salvation, and continue to search for the people who will be Messiahs in my cause," said Gill.

"This destiny of yours will never happen, for you no longer be running the Illuminati, I'm sick of you wasting time on this load of crap!" shouted the father.

"Yeah, I guess that means I'm the new leader!" cheers Urien.

"You are wrong son. While you hate your brother's prophecy too, you only seek to make humans lives harder and make them suffer. I seek to exterminate them completely," answered the father.

"Why?" asked Urien.

"Simple, the humans are not toys for you to play with, they are a giant shit stain on this planet and all deserve to die!" yelled the father.

"No, give them a chance to show they are worthy to live father, and you'll be proven wrong!" spoke Gill.

"Why should I do something like that?" asked the father as he got up closer in Gill's face.

"Are you afraid of admitting you're wrong?" rebutted Gill.

"Touché, ok I'll hold a tournament, winner of the tournament fights me, and if he loses, then the human race can kiss their existence goodbye," said the father.

"It's a deal," grumbled Gill, who feared for the humans.

"Let it be known, that the apocalypse is coming, and it has a name. And that name… is Zephyr!" bellowed the father.

The Illuminati members shook as they heard Gill and Urien's father speak his name.

"Now my lackeys, imprison your former master and his brother, and then help me prepare for the extinction of Homo sapiens!" growled Zephyr.

"I'm sorry my lord," said an Illuminati soldier as he reluctantly led Gill to the dungeon of the base. Both Gill and Urien had their heads hung in shame.

"Nothing can stop the true destiny of this planet!" yelled Zephyr as he began to cackle maniacally.

"My father has lost his mind, his plans need to be derailed, but how?" thought Gill as he and Urien disappeared from Zephyr's sight.

Author's Note: Ok, this is the first chapter, yeah it's a little short, but I gotta stretch the story out, not to mention this is just the first chapter, so the other chapters will probably be longer. Next we'll get to meet some of the other characters and find out how they will be involved in the tournament. Please read and review.


	3. Training for the Tourney Begins

Chapter 2: Training for the Tourney Begins

A month has passed since Zephyr arrived and dethroned his own son as leader of the Illuminati. In that month, word of the tournament spread around the world like a disease. Instantly, many fighters began to train for the tournament that would take place in two months.

However, for some fighters that Zephyr absolutely wanted to see at the tournament, he took incredibly drastic measures to make sure those fighters were in attendance.

Over in Oakland California, it was a balmy summer morning. The heat called for people to stay in the shade or do whatever they could possibly do to stay cool. But in a local gym, a young man was training for the upcoming tournament that Zephyr himself was sponsoring. Since it was really early in the morning, the gym was vacant aside from him and his friends.

Twenty-two year old Marcos Ortega was the man who stood in the gym. A look of determination flared in his deep brown eyes as they lay fixed on the bright red punching bag hanging in front of him. The muscular boxer clad in his boxing gear began to punch away at the red sand filled bag with all his might. Echoes of his punches filled the room as his family and friends encouraged to keep going strong.

"Fuck you Zephyr, fuck you for what you've done to me and my family! I'll make you pay bastard," he grumbled to himself.

Thoughts of what happened flooded back to his mind. It was two weeks ago; Marcos had just won a boxing match up in San Francisco and decided to celebrate his victory with his friend Raul Hernandez and his girlfriend Crystal Wong. The three all got into Marcos's low rider and drove off to a nearby nightclub when Marcos's cell phone rang.

"Hola," answered Marcos.

"Marcos, come home quickly, it's urgent!" screamed a feminine sounding voice over the phone.

"Ok hermanita I'll be right there," responded Marcos.

"What's going on buddy?" asked Raul.

"Something happened at home and I need to head back immediately," answered Marcos.

Within fifteen minutes, Marcos arrived back at his house, quickly jumped out of his car and burst through the door where he saw his younger sister Juanita sobbing in the living room while his grandfather Eduardo tried to comfort her.

"Que pasa Juanita?" questioned Marcos.

"Somebody kidnapped mama," sobbed Juanita.

"What, who would do something like that to poor Rosalinda?" inquired Crystal.

Just as Crystal asked that question, a middle aged Mexican man walked into the room, a grim expression adorned his face as he gazed at the people standing in his living room. He was Marcos's father, Humberto.

"He called himself Zephyr. Apparently that pendejo wants either me or Marcos to enter this tournament otherwise he's gonna use her in an experiment," answered Humberto

"Experiment, what kind of experiment?" asked Eduardo.

"Hell if I know, I just know that it'll be something bad," responded Humberto.

"If that's the case pa, then I'll enter, you're getting too old, I just need to go train now to crush that fucker that had the cajones to kidnap mi mama!" stated Marcos.

"Are you sure, this guy isn't a chump, he seems dangerous," asked Raul.

"I'm sure, you don't mess with the family of El Toro Poderoso and get away with it!" remarked Marcos.

Marcos still remembered that day vividly and as he thought more about the trouble his mother was possibly in, began to swing away with more anger and intensity behind his punches while picturing Zephyr was the punching bag.

"Eat this! Corkscrew Drill!" screamed Marcos as he hit the bag with a blow so powerful that the chain holding it broke apart. The bag went flying against a wall and hit the wall so hard that it put a huge dent in it. Marcos also punched a big hole in the bag and sand was starting to pour out of it like a leaky pipe.

The gym owner ran in to see the wreck Marcos caused, his eyes grew wide as he saw the broken wall, and as his beady eyes shifted over to the deflated punching bag, his face turned beet red in anger.

"You bastard, that was my best punching bag and you ruined it! You're gonna pay for all the damage you did here asshole!" screamed the angry owner.

"Calm down chap, here, take this money, it should be enough to pay for the damages, I'll make sure my protégé doesn't get too reckless again," said a man with a British accent.

"You make sure he doesn't, or your ass is outta here too limey," growled the owner as he stormed back into his office.

"Sorry Dudley, I was just picturing that bag as Zephyr," said Marcos as he ran a hand through his spiky black hair.

"It's ok Marcos, just remember, anger is a great tool to have in a fight, but you need to harness it better, blind anger will just lead you to an easy defeat. You'll want to win, but you have to be smart in the ring, don't make too many mistakes," said Dudley.

"You still have two months to train mijo, don't wear yourself out too fast," said Humberto.

"You got it pa," responded Marcos.

"Now how about a little one on one with someone?" asked Eduardo in a gruff tone.

"Not with you grandpa, I don't want to hurt you," answered Marcos.

"Of course not me, spar with Raul," retorted Eduardo.

"What, I'll get creamed!" cried Raul.

"C'mon man, I need to work on my defense, punching bags don't hit back you know," said Marcos.

"Oh all right," grumbled Raul as he stepped into the ring and began to warm up.

"Two months, just you wait Zephyr, you'll get your comeuppance," thought Marcos.

"All right now gentlemen, come out fighting, and no dirty tricks, you aren't gutter trash!" announced Dudley.

Marcos and Raul began to circle around each other in the ring as they stared dead locked on one another. Marcos threw a punch but Raul quickly blocked the attack. Raul then went for a body blow as Marcos swatted his hand away. The sparring session began to intensify as more punches began to fly through the air like bullets.

"C'mon Marcos!" cheered Crystal

"Go Marcos!" said Humberto

"You can do it chap!" said Dudley.

"Hey, why is no one cheering for me?" asked Raul.

"You're not the one fighting in the tournament," answered Marcos.

Raul was beginning to show signs of fatigue as the match went on. His punches were coming out slower, his breathing got heavier, and he was sweating by the bucketful. Marcos saw the opportunity to go for the win.

"Machine Gun Blow!" he screamed.

With a flurry of quick body blows, Raul hit the ground as Dudley counted him out.

"Ay, you're skills are improving amigo, I should know, I felt them firsthand," grunted Raul as he struggled to get up.

"Gracias, but I still have quite a ways to go if I'm going to be the victor of the tournament," replied Marcos wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the country in New York City, champion wrestler Xavier Jackson was also training in a gym near his house. Xavier growled as lifted his sparring partner up for a Spine Buster attack, after pulling it off, the other wrestler hit the ground with a thud and groaned in pain.

"Yeah, that's how you do it Xavier!" cheered his manager; Mika Nanakawa who back in the day was known as the pro wrestler, Rainbow Mika.

"Yeah, if I keep this up I should be able to win the tournament easily!" exclaimed Xavier.

"And get your job back," added his wife, Essence.

"Daddy's strong," said his son, Juwan.

"Yeah, damn that Zephyr bastard, I hate him! What business does he have taking over the CWA and firing me, X-Clamation, the grand champion?" asked Xavier.

"I know, he did you wrong, don't worry, we'll get him back somehow," said Mika.

"I hope so, I don't think I'll be able to keep my endorsements for very long if I can't wrestle," said Xavier.

As Xavier resumed his training, a muscular figure sauntered through the door of the gym, golden blonde hair ran down his head, a red headband kept his hair from falling into his eyes, he was clad in a black leather jacket and fatigue pants. Xavier immediately recognized who the man was and called out to him in an attempt to get his attention.

"Hey Blondie! You're Alex aren't you, the champ of the last Street Fighter tournament?" asked Xavier

"That would be correct sir, you're Xavier Jackson if I'm not mistaken, right?" responded Alex.

"The one and only!" exclaimed Xavier.

"You're a good wrestler, though the matches may be choreographed, you have great potential to be a great fighter," commented Alex.

"Thanks, that means a lot coming from a champion," said Xavier.

"You entering the tournament Mr. Alex?" inquired Mika.

"Yeah I am, I guess that's what you're training for as well Xavier, so you can get your job back," answered Alex.

"Yeah, what gave the Zephyr the clout to terminate me and cut short my career, he said I was getting old, I'm twenty-eight! He considers that old?" bellowed Xavier.

"I guess he wanted you to join the tournament, so he used that to give you incentive, but his means are quite dubious, I have a bad feeling about this guy," stated Alex.

"As do I," added Mika.

"So, would you give me the honor of sparring with you champ?" asked Xavier.

"Why not, I could use a strong opponent," said Alex.

"Then let's get it on!" shouted Xavier.

A crowd began to gather around the ring as the champion street fighter and the champion wrestler began to lock horns. It wasn't every day that two great fighters graced the gym and sparred with one another.

"Flash Chop!" yelled Alex

The chop hit Xavier squarely in the sternum; Xavier rubbed his chest but then came back at Alex strong.

"Flying Clothesline!" he screamed.

Xavier jumped at Alex as the hit him hard with his forearm, knocking Alex to the ground.

"Not bad, now let's get serious!" said Alex.

"Yeah, I concur," remarked Xavier.

Xavier and Alex continued to spar with a lot of ferocity empowering them, surprisingly Xavier was able to hold his own against the Street Fighter champ.

"Not bad man, I haven't had a work out like this in a while, you should be proud," gasped Alex.

"We aren't finished yet friend," retorted Xavier.

The two continued to train against one another while many people cheered the both of them on.

Over in Washington D.C, two secret service agents were going over some documents they had received on the Illuminati's actions as of late, and wondering how to go about their investigation.

One of the agents, a burly red haired man in a black suit by the name of Reginald Biggs said to his partner "This Zephyr fellow is indeed an enigma, I wonder who he is and what happened to their previous leader."

His partner, a petite blonde woman in a black dress named Vicki Small answered, "I don't know, Gill just seemed to disappear. The reason still remains a mystery, I say one of us should enter the tournament and find out the answers to the riddles these documents create."

"You enter then Vicki, you're the one with more martial arts experience, and besides, you were trained by the Killer Bee," suggested Reginald.

"Ah yes, Cammy White, I'm sure the moves I learned from her will come in handy in this tournament," said Vicki.

"The tournament will start in two months, I suggest you begin your training now," stated Reginald.

"Affirmative!" responded Vicki as she walked out of the room to change into her exercise gear.

"Zephyr, who the hell are you, and why did you show up all of a sudden? The Illuminati sure has been acting strange," thought Vicki as she changed her clothes.

After Vicki left, Reginald's phone rang; he picked it up within a few seconds.

"What is it boss?" asked Reginald

"How goes the investigation Agent Biggs?" asked the boss.

"Agent Small is preparing to engage in the tournament that this Zephyr fellow is hosting, we can probably find the answers we need there," answered Reginald.

"Excellent, I also wanted to tell you that I'm having someone from the U.S Army work with you, his name is Scott Wagner, he's going to enter the tournament too, that way it'll be easier for you to obtain the info we need, he's on a plane here right now and should be here tonight," responded the boss.

"We'll go pick him up sir, Agent Biggs out!" remarked Reginald.

As Vicki came out in her exercise gear, she asked Reginald "What did the boss have to say?"

"Some fellow named Wagner from the U.S Army will be aiding us in our cause, I have to go pick him up from the airport," answered Reginald.

"That's great, he'll be a valuable asset to us. I'm gonna go train now, I'll see you later," said Vicki.

"Agreed. I shall return with Mr. Wagner shortly," said Reginald.

Reginald then exited the building, got into his car, and drove off to go pick up Wagner from the airport while Vicki began her training for the tournament.

"Two months, it seems like such a long ways away, but it isn't. The answers are out there, we just a way to find out what they are," said Vicki to herself while she lifted some weights.

Author's Note: Well, that covered the stories of some of my characters, I have posted the profiles of my original characters. Next chapter will be the stories of at least three more characters. Please read and review! Also feel free to read my profile and check the profiles of my original characters.


	4. Hatred for Zephyr Spreads

Chapter 3: Hatred for Zephyr Spreads

It was a cold winter day in the land of Australia, snow drifted down through the sky and the animals were all sleeping in hibernation. The eucalyptus trees stood bare as the cold weather froze off all the leaves. And the beaches which during summer days were filled with many surfers and swimmers, were ghostly vacant with the exception of two men.

Twenty seven year old Brock Irvine stood firm on the snow covered beach staring down his sparring opponent and sensei, the Emperor of Muay Thai himself, Sagat. Even though his master was almost a whole foot taller than he was, Brock showed no fear in his sapphire blue eyes. The cold wind blew the two warriors' long hair around, but it didn't seem to bother them at all.

"Ok Brock, let's see how you've progressed in the time I've trained you," said Sagat.

"Sure thing sensei," responded Brock in a thick Australian accent.

Brock leapt at his master and stuck his leg out aiming for Sagat's head. Sagat quickly jumped back to avoid the attack as Brock rushed his master down.

Sagat blocked two jabs from Brock but then fell victim to a sweep from him, Sagat quickly flipped back up to his feet and threw a hard punch directed at Brock's stomach, Brock saw it coming and quickly knocked Sagat's hand away.

"Kangaroo Kick!" screamed Brock.

Planting both hands on the ground, Brock stuck both his feet out and delivered a sharp kick to Sagat's solar plexus. Sagat staggered backwards from the kick, but quickly regained his composure and was soon back on the offensive.

"Tiger Crush!" screamed Sagat.

The attack hit Brock on the chin and he flew backwards and hit the ground but speedily scrambled back up to his feet.

"Tiger!" yelled Brock.

A low aimed Tiger Shot soared straight towards Sagat who quickly dodged the attack as Brock ran at his master again.

"Dingo Claw!" shouted Brock.

The rushing claw like strike hit Sagat in the chest and knocked him down as well, but he didn't stay down long, and both master and student began to go all out offensive, matching each other blow for blow for a while. The body heat the two were generating helped them ignore the freezing weather. Brock lunged at Sagat with another jump kick.

"Tiger Uppercut!" screamed Sagat.

Brock sailed backwards and hit the ground hard, he groaned in pain as Sagat stood over him and extended his hand to help Brock up. As he got up, Brock dusted off his shorts and brushed the snow out of his long blonde mullet.

"Very good Brock, you have come a long way since I first started training you many years ago, I have a feeling you'll do well in this upcoming tournament, commented Sagat.

"I hope so mate, that fucker Zephyr kidnapped my buddy Paul, I have to get him home safely," stated Brock.

"I know you're worried about your friend, but if you want to save him, you can't have those worries in your mind during a fight, they'll only hinder your skills, he'll be fine," said Sagat.

"It's not only Paul's safety that concerns me, that Zephyr fellow seems dangerous, more so than that Bison fellow you've told me about," added Brock

"Hmm, you are correct, he does seem quite powerful, but something will come around and bite him in the ass, since he has no honor, that will be his downfall," said Sagat.

"Whew, I'm starting to feel the cold now, should be begin training again?" suggested Brock as he rubbed his biceps to keep them warm.

"Yes, we shall use these two months effectively," answered Sagat.

Brock resumed his training for the tournament while Sagat watched him practice his moves.

"It's been so long since I've taken on a student, I just hope that the power he gains from my training won't go to his head, I don't want him ending up like Adon, foolishly searching for a warrior he knows he can't beat and end up getting killed, I can only pray Brock doesn't wind up like poor Adon," thought Sagat.

"Paul, hang on my friend, I'll save you then we'll be surfing the waves once again when the summer weather rolls on by again," thought Brock to himself.

Up on the northern hemisphere, in the town of Nagoya, Japan, a young student of Ninjitsu was busy meditating in his bedroom. His deep brown eyes gazed blankly at what was in front of him. The dim lighting of the room helped him further concentrate on clearing his mind of all other thoughts.

"I am a ninja, I come and go like the wind and fade away without a trace, but yet as a Bushin ninja, I must face all evil and exterminate it in any way possible," the young man murmured to himself.

The young man, nineteen year old Sano, closed his eyes and let his thoughts wander, he sat deep in concentration until someone burst through the front door of the house, he could hear people in the living room gasp. Sano sprang to his feet, dusted off his ninja gear, and ran downstairs to see what was going on. His adoptive parents, Maki and Cody, had their eyes fixed on the man who arrived at their place, they gazed hard at him, mouths agape as if they were looking at a ghost.

"Guy, is that you?" inquired Cody.

"Yeah, long time no see my friends," answered Guy.

"Where have you been all these years? I've been searching for you but eventually gave up when I couldn't find you," stated Maki.

"It's a long story, I'll tell you later on, but I bring troubling news," said Guy.

"What might that be?" asked Sano.

"Wait a second, who are you, is this your kid Maki?" asked Guy

"Technically he is," responded Maki

"What do mean by technically?" asked Guy.

"Me and Cody adopted him after Yakuza members murdered his parents," answered Maki.

"Damn the Yakuza, I'll get my revenge on them someday!" Sano thought to himself

"Introduce yourself," Cody said to Sano.

"My name is Sano, it is a pleasure to meet you Guy, I've heard a lot of great things about you," said Sano.

"Nice meeting you too. But anyways, what I was trying to say was that after Shadaloo fell apart, a new organization appeared out of nowhere, it was called the Illuminati," said Guy.

"I've heard of the Illuminati, their leader was this weird looking half red, half blue person, Gill I believe his name was," piped Cody.

"Correct, I didn't worry about the Illuminati originally because Gill wasn't all that bad, he's just trying to fulfill a prophecy, but just last month, they got a new leader, who has a much more malevolent heart, he wants to destroy everyone because he feels we are all inferior species and are a waste of space on our planet," remarked Guy.

"WHAT! Who is this new leader?" questioned Sano.

"He's Gill's father, Zephyr is his name, he's holding a tournament in an effort to prove his point, whoever wins the tournament will face him, and if they lose, we can kiss our existence goodbye," informed Guy.

"When will this tournament occur?" asked Maki

"In two months from now, I don't know where yet, Zephyr has not said the location, just the time," replied Guy.

"If that's the case, I will enter this tournament. As the new generation of Bushin, it is my responsibility to quell all evil no matter the costs," announced Sano.

"What, you know the art of Bushin?" asked Guy.

"Me and Maki have taught him our fighting styles, so he fights with a mixture of both our styles, so technically he is Bushin," informed Cody.

"Sano, this tournament holds lots of danger, are you sure you can handle what may be thrown your way?" asked Guy.

"No problem, I've got two months to further hone my skills, I'm not worried, I'm sure I'll come out of this okay," answered Sano.

"I hope so, I don't want nothing happening to you my son," said Maki.

"Whatever happens though is all a matter of fate, we all know that and must not fight our fate," remarked Sano.

"You've remembered your lessons well, may they guide you to victory," said Cody.

"The answers will face me in two months from now," remarked Sano.

The young ninja then walked outside to prepare himself for what would lie ahead not only at the tournament, but also for what his life as a Bushin ninja would hold for him.

On the other side of the world, in the city of Tucson, Arizona, the Thunderfoot tribe mourned over the destruction of their tribal land. The soil, trees, plants, just about everything on the land lay in ruination. The tribe members gazed sadly but angrily at the wreck.

"Why did this have to happen to us?"

"What did we do wrong to deserve this?"

"Have we angered our ancestors?"

"No, I believe that this Zephyr did this for his own personal pleasure, and probably to push one of us into his little tournament," responded the tribal leader, and hero of the Thunderfoot tribe, Thunder Hawk.

"That might be the only way to rebuild the land, look at the wreck that Zephyr caused, it's going to cost a lot of money to fix it all up again," said his wife, Noembelu.

"I'm afraid you're right my wife, but the question is, which of us should represent our tribe in the tournament?" asked T. Hawk

"Let me fight father, as the future chief of the Thunderfoot tribe, I will fight for us all, and for our sacred land," answered his daughter, sixteen year old Skye Hawk.

"Skye, you are indeed a brave young girl, and I'm proud to know that you'll be willing to fight for the tribe, but do you really think you can handle the pressure of what you're taking on?" asked T. Hawk.

"Yes, you taught me to be strong, to honor our ancestors and to love the earth because it has been good to us, I'll do just fine," assured Skye.

" I hope so Skye, we don't want to lose you," said her boyfriend Julius Rivers.

Skye gazed into her boyfriend's warm green eyes, she could see that Julius was indeed concerned about her, although his muscular appearance made him seem frightening, Julius was very warm hearted and protective of Skye.

"Julius, don't worry, I have time to train, knowing I have you at my side gives me added strength in the place I most need it, in my heart," responded Skye.

Julius smiled at his girlfriend, and gave her a hug, as he held her slender body in his arms and ran his hands down her long brown hair, he could feel his worry disappear from him, after all, her father was a hero to the tribe and that Skye would be able to handle herself fine in the tournament.

"If that's the case, I'll help you train, if that's okay with your father," said Julius.

"It's fine with me, but first, let us pray for good luck and prosperity and pray for the safety of mankind, it could use a prayer right now," suggested T. Hawk

The entire tribe knelt to the ground and proceeded to pray silently for a hopeful and peaceful future.

Author's Note: Three more characters done, next chapter, I will do another three, anyways, please read and review


	5. Personal Reasons

Chapter 4: Personal Reasons

Over on the continent of Africa, in the city of Nairobi, Kenya, it was a cold winter day there. The wildlife that usually roamed the plains during the warmer days lay in hibernation. It wasn't snowing, but it was still very cold. Everyone who ventured outside was dressed very warmly to keep himself or herself from getting frostbite, pneumonia, or hypothermia.

A young man, lean in stature, dressed in a heavy green poncho, white pants, brown moccasins, and a white hat with earflaps ran across the plains like his shoes were on fire. The heavy clothing made him sweat more than usual as he ran towards a nearby hospital and tore through the door.

That man, twenty two year old Unoka immediately stopped to catch his breath as he entered the hospital, many patients and others who were related to the patients were occupying many of the chairs in the lobby and just stared at Unoka wondering what he was in a hurry for.

Unoka then quickly walked over to the information desk in the lobby.

"I'm here to see my older sister, what room is she in?" asked Unoka

"Okay, what's your sister's name?" asked the information worker.

"Her name is Elena," answered Unoka.

"Oh Dr. Elena, she's in intensive care, on the third floor." answered the information worker.

"Thanks much," said Unoka as he ran towards the elevator."

As soon as Unoka reached the third floor, he obtained his visitor's pass and made a dash for the hospital where Elena was being held, many family and friends were gathered around her hospital bed as well.

Unoka looked at his severely injured older sister. She lay in bed almost lifelessly, her breathing was very low and she was hooked up to many IVs. Numerous cuts and bruises adorned her dark face and one of her legs was wrapped in a cast.

"What happened to her?" inquired Unoka.

"Doctor said she got into a really bad fight, her opponent busted her up pretty bad, damn near killed her," said Aisha, Unoka's fiancée.

"This sucks, my sister was the best doctor in this clinic and now she herself is hospitalized, does anyone know who did this to her?" asked Unoka.

"Witnesses say that it was a tall silver haired man in white gym shorts with skin that kept changing colors," responded Aisha.

At that moment, Elena's dark blue eyes opened, she looked at the people in her room and then shot a gaze at her younger brother.

"He has frightening power, he plans to bring an end to everything we love so much, he called himself Zephyr," Elena said very weakly.

"Zephyr, you mean the mysterious man that is holding a Street Fighter tournament in a couple of months?" asked Unoka.

"Yeah, it was that Zephyr, I don't know why he attacked me, but just look where I am now," answered Elena.

"The doctor did say she'll be fine though, but it'll be a while before she makes a full recovery," said Unoka and Elena's father.

After Elena spoke a doctor came and said, "Ok, I need all visitors out, Elena needs to rest!"

Before being forced out of the room, Unoka took one last gaze at his injured sister and something inside his mind immediately snapped.

"Damn that son of a bitch Zephyr! I'll enter his fucking tournament and get my revenge for having the audacity to do what he did to Elena!" thought Unoka.

"Unoka, honey what are you thinking about?" inquired Aisha.

"I'm going to go train now Aisha, I will avenge my sister at the Street Fighter tournament no matter what I have to do!" remarked Unoka.

"Unoka my son, I know you are very skilled, you spend most of your days perfecting your Capoeira prowess, but still, I don't feel you are ready yet," said his father.

"Dad, I know I am not ready, that's why I must train every day until the day of the tournament, so that way I can be at my best when that day comes," replied Unoka.

"Well if this is how you feel, I won't stop you from entering, you're a grown man and entitled you make your own decisions, I just hope you come home alive that way you can fulfill the dreams you have," said the father.

"Thanks, even if I don't win though, someone better defeat Zephyr otherwise no one's dreams will ever come true," stated Unoka.

Unoka departed from the hospital and immediately went out to the Kenyan plains to begin his immense training ritual.

Over in the country of Mexico, a young Mexican was busy giving a performance in her hometown of Mexico City. Although quite late at night, it was still quite hot over in Mexico and the hot stage lights just added extra heat onto the young woman making her sweat which gave her a glistening look as she sang her heart out.

That young woman was Chela Castillo, and at only twenty years old, Chela was the biggest pop star in Mexico today as she was trained in the art of music under the tutelage of Jamaican reggae sensation Dee Jay.

Little did the fans know however that Dee Jay also taught Chela his kickboxing style, the fans seemed to only care for her musical talent. But Chela could indeed mesmerize people with her angelic voice. Which is exactly what she was doing right now. After finishing the current song, the people watching the performance gave her a standing ovation and cheered "Ole" many times.

"Gracias la ciudad de Mexico!" cried out Chela before she headed backstage to her dressing room.

Backstage, Chela was quickly bombarded by many paparazzi, they all begin snapping many pictures of her and asking her a lot of questions, Flashes from the camera was all Chela could see as she tried to break through the stream of the rabid journalists in an effort to get to her dressing room. As soon as she got there, she quickly ran in and slammed the door shut and held it shut until the heard the paparazzi leave.

"Idiotas," said Chela to herself.

Chela then sat down for a while and proceeded to reflect on her performance tonight.

"It's always wonderful to be home, and I love to please my fans, but sometimes I wish I could just get away from it all for a while, it's hard being famous. I would also like my fans to appreciate my other talents, like my martial arts skills. But unfortunately, that's not likely to happen," grumbled Chela to herself.

Chela then changed out of her performance outfit into something more comfortable and less revealing. As soon as she finished changing, Dee Jay burst into the dressing room, with a huge smile on his face, but then again it was rare to see Dee Jay frown.

"Hey Dee Jay, how was my performance?" asked Chela

"Great as always, but enough about the performance, you know how you want people to see you as a competent martial artist?" said Dee Jay.

"Yeah, what about it?" asked Chela

"I heard about this tournament sponsored by this mysterious cat named Zephyr that's taking place in two months from now, you should enter, you could show off your mad skills and since the paparazzi don't know you can fight, you might be able to get away from them for a while," suggested Dee Jay.

"Who exactly is this Zephyr?" asked Chela.

"Beats me, a lot of info on this guy is shrouded in shadow, but still it's a tournament," replied Dee Jay.

"Sounds like a good deal, I think I'll go through with it," said Chela.

"Yeah, that's the answer I knew I would hear! We gonna add some much needed rhythm and music to this tournament, spice it up a bit!" howled Dee Jay.

"Where exactly is it being held?" inquired Chela.

"I don't know yet, but it's bound to be announced soon," responded Dee Jay.

"But if I'm going to enter, I think I should keep it on the down low, because if the public finds out about it early, then I'll never escape the paparazzi," suggested Chela.

"I couldn't agree with you more, but anyways, your friends are outside waiting for you in my limousine, I suggest we don't keep them waiting," said Dee Jay.

"Yeah, let's go, tomorrow I'll begin training for this tournament," replied Chela.

Chela and Dee Jay walked down to Dee Jay's limousine. Inside were Chela's long time friends Paco and Teresa Vargas.

"Hey Chela, great performance, you really blew the roof off!" cheered Paco.

"Yeah, we knew you would do great," added Teresa.

Chela and Dee Jay hopped into the limo and shut the door behind them.

"Gracias, but anyways, can you two keep a secret?" asked Chela.

"Si!" responded both Paco and Teresa.

"I'm entering a martial arts tournament, it's starting a couple months from now, I'd appreciate if you didn't tell anyone about it. I need a day away from the press," whispered Chela.

"Sure thing, you have our word," responded Paco, holding his hand over his heart as if he were saying the Pledge of Allegiance.

"We won't tell a soul," said Teresa

"Good, make sure you don't," replied Dee Jay.

The limo then drove off into the streets of Mexico as many fans of Chela gazed at it while they drove by.

On the other side of the world in Hong Kong, a young martial artist was busy training in his own personal dojo, the short Chinese man was busy sparring with a wooden dummy, he proceeded to hit the dummy with many quick combination strikes letting out loud yells as he landed a hit.

"HIIIYAAA! SHAAAAAA! KEEEEEYAAAHHHHHH!" screamed the young man.

Twenty three year old Quock continued to pound away at the dummy with much fury and determination, and putting as much concentration as he could into every blow. The sound of his fist smacking the wood reverberated throughout the dojo numerous times.

All of a sudden, another man, about as tall as Quock sauntered into the dojo. He bore a striking resemblance to the great martial artist Bruce Lee; he was clothed in a hooded jacket and sweat pants. It was the great Hong Kong film star and Quock's mentor Fei Long.

"Whoa Quock, ease up on that dummy, those things cost a lot of money," warned Fei Long.

"Why are you worried about some piece of wood? You have a ton of money from the movies you've made, you can buy a room full of wooden dummies," retorted Quock.

"Are you still steamed over that idiotic tabloid magazine?" inquired Fei Long.

"No shit! How dare they say that I fake my moves, that I'm not a real martial artist, they must have forgotten that before I became a star that I was a gang member," answered Quock.

Quock ceased his barrage on his inanimate foe and grabbed a small towel and proceeded to wipe the sweat raining down from his head.

"Eh, I know how you feel too, the tabloids seem to enjoy trying to make celebrities look bad, fuck them! Besides, you still have a ton of fans eagerly awaiting your next film," replied Fei Long.

Quock just gazed angrily at the tabloid magazine in front of his face, the magazine had a big of Quock doing a martial arts pose and in bright yellow letters near the title of the magazine, it said in Mandarin "Martial Arts movie sensation Quock is a fake!"

"I know I shouldn't let it get to me, but yet it still irks me horribly, how I wish I could prove those bastards wrong," grumbled Quock.

"I think I have a way to do that Quock," said Fei Long.

"Oh yeah, I know what you're talking about, that tournament being held by some weird guy named Zephyr," responded Quock.

"Bingo!" exclaimed Fei Long.

Quock took a swig from his water bottle that lay near the dummy and said, "If I enter that tournament, whether I win or lose, I can destroy that notion that I'm not for real."

"Indeed, but anyways, you have a movie premiere to get to in a few hours, we better get ready, we can't go looking like this," reminded Fei Long.

"Shit, I forgot all about that, damn the press! They got my mind clouded in anger!" yelled Quock

Quock and Fei Long left the dojo to prepare for the premiere of Quock's new movie "Drunken Monkey Fist"

"Oh well, just two months before all doubt of my prowess is tossed out the window, I can't wait for the tournament" thought Quock.

Author's Note: That's about half of my original characters right there, next chapter, three more character's stories. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please read and review.


	6. Longing for Freedom

Chapter 5: Longing for Freedom

It was early in the afternoon in Tokyo, Japan. The streets of the city were crowded with many cars filled mainly with people that had to go to work or business grunts that were trying to get somewhere quickly for lunch. And since the weather was pleasant, many pedestrians milled about in the sidewalks and shops gazing at all the curio displayed in the shop windows.

A young girl zoomed down the streets on her Yamaha motorcycle. She was sporting the traditional biker garb, but wasn't wearing her helmet so her long black hair blew freely in the wind; however, she had it tied back so it wouldn't get in her face while she was riding. She smiled as the she heard the roar of her motorcycle's engine.

That girl, nineteen-year-old Tomoko Nakamura focused hard on what was ahead of her, on how much her life has changed over the past couple of years, and the events that transpired her to make those changes.

Tomoko thought back to two years ago. With her former biker gang in tow, Tomoko was sitting in a bar having a drink, although she was underage, the bartender knew better than not to mess with her or he would feel the wrath of the entire gang.

"Hey, bartender, give me another sake pronto or I'll bludgeon you with my chain!" screamed Tomoko.

The bartender could tell the liquor was beginning to affect Tomoko already, her speech was slurred and her judgment was becoming impaired. Reluctantly he handed her another shot of sake just as members of a rival biker gang sauntered into the bar.

"Hey fuckers, this is my gang's bar! Get the hell out of here before we all stomp the shit out of you!" yelled a drunken Tomoko.

"Fuck you, I aint taking orders from some schoolgirl bitch!" retorted the rival gang leader who then hawked a loogie right in Tomoko's face.

Inebriated, Tomoko immediately exploded out of her barstool and smacked the rival leader in the face. As he fell to the ground, Tomoko pulled out her chain and proceeded to whip the leader with her chain. The cold, hard steel began to cut, welt, and seriously bruise the leader. Without hesitance the other members of the gang dove all over Tomoko and started to all beat up on her while holding off members of her own gang.

"This is where you die little girl!" yelled one of the rival gang members.

The leader pulled out a switchblade and snickered maliciously as he prepared to end Tomoko's life, but before he could act, he found himself being sent flying by another fighter. The other gang members ceased their assault on Tomoko and whirled around to see who had struck their leader.

A portly Japanese man, around six feet tall stood before them, he had his hair tied in a Mage and had red face paint adorning his face to make him look more fierce. He was clad in a black jacket and white trousers. Members of both gangs began to tremble at the sight of the man. He was champion sumo wrestler Edmond Honda.

"Leave that girl alone!" yelled E. Honda.

"Don't tell us what to do fat ass!" shouted a gang member as he charged at E. Honda.

E. Honda sidestepped away from the gang member and knocked him down with a hard palm strike to the back. He then turned to the other members and performed his Hundred Hand Slap, which sent the whole biker swarm flying. The gangs ran away in terror as E. Honda decimated them.

"Dosukoi!" yelled E. Honda.

E. Honda then knelt down and scooped Tomoko up in his arms and carried her out of the bar.

"I'm going to help you young woman. You can be so much more than just some common street punk," said E. Honda.

From then on, E. Honda talked with Tomoko regularly and even taught her some of his combat skills. The time spent with E. Honda quelled Tomoko's rambunctious ness dramatically. Tomoko remembered it all vividly. Had it not been for E. Honda, she could have been dead.

"Whoa, to think it's been two years since I've cleaned up my act. Although I still like to act wild, I least I know how to keep my wild side in check now, thank you E. Honda," Tomoko thought to herself.

As Tomoko finally arrived at her family's residence, she saw her father, mother, and brother all gathered around the table eating udon noodles and to her surprise, E. Honda was present as well.

"Hey Edmond-san, what brings you to our humble home?" asked Tomoko.

"Mr. Honda has something to tell you Tomoko-san," said her father Masahiro.

"I've found something good you can fight for," piped E. Honda.

"What might that be?" inquired Tomoko.

"The future of humankind, this mysterious guy named Zephyr has appeared from out of nowhere and has threatened to eradicate us all, he's holding a tournament to prove his point. He'll spare us if the winner of the tournament can defeat him," explained E. Honda.

"And you want me to enter?" asked Tomoko.

"Why not Tomoko-san, you're a natural fighter, and a quick study. You learned the moves I taught you quite quickly. I think you'd do well," replied E. Honda.

"Yes, please fight for your family, and for everyone else," added her mother Kotomi.

"I don't want to die Tomoko," cried her younger brother, Yoshihiro.

"Ok my family, I'll fight. I'll do it for you guys, to show you that I am a much better person than I was in the past!" exclaimed Tomoko.

"That's the right spirit, come to my house tomorrow, I shall assist you with the training you will need to undergo in order to be in top shape for the tournament," informed E. Honda.

"Arigato Edmond-san," said Tomoko as she bowed to E. Honda and sat down to eat her udon.

Back on the island of the Illuminati headquarters, many shady events were taking place on the base; this was mainly to Zephyr's negative influence on the members of the Illuminati.

However, in the dungeon of the Illuminati sat two German men, both looked very similar to one another with their hairstyles being the only difference in their physical appearance. But that's because they are twin brothers, the famous Van Bratten brothers to be exact.

"I can't believe this, we've become enslaved by some guy named Zephyr who is just going to kill us after his little tournament," grumbled Hans Van Bratten.

"I know brother, this is horrible," added the longer haired twin, Gunter.

Hans and Gunter thought back to what happened that day. The two brothers were busy training in a local gymnasium in their hometown of Munich, Germany. Hans was bench-pressing while Gunter counted how many bench presses Hans had done so far.

"Four ninety nine, five hundred, five o one, five o two," counted Gunter.

"Keep on counting brother, I'm not even perspiring yet," rasped Hans.

Also watching the training regimen was the Van Bratten brothers' mentor, champion of Germany's wrestling circuit Hugo Andore.

"Yeah, that's the spirit Hans, keep on pumping that iron," cheered Hugo.

But from out of nowhere, a huge blast broke open a humungous hole into one of the walls of the gymnasium. Hans stopped his workout, sat up and along with Gunter and Hugo gazed wide-eyed at the powerful being standing inside the gym, it was none other than Zephyr.

"Ah, well if the isn't the famous Van Bratten brothers, you two will make excellent slaves for the Illuminati, you will aid me in the destruction of your kind," said Zephyr.

"Are you serious, you must be wearing your lederhosen too tight to where it's cutting off oxygen to your brain," remarked Hans.

"My protégés aren't going anywhere pretty boy!" shouted Hugo as he charged towards Zephyr.

"Fool!" yelled Zephyr as he charged shoulder first right into Hugo sending flying through the wall on the opposite side of the gym. Zephyr then turned to Hans and Gunter who just stood frozen in fear at the sight of Hugo being toppled so easily.

"You bastard!" yelled Gunter who threw a punch at Zephyr with high intensity, Zephyr sidestepped the attack and then grabbed Gunter's arm and with minimal effort, twisted the German bodybuilder's arm and snapped the bone.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" screamed Gunter at the top of his lungs.

"Now you two, you will either join me or I will bring an end to your existence now. It doesn't matter anyways because you will die sooner or later," cackled Zephyr.

Hans and Gunter reluctantly knelt down and Zephyr knocked them out and carried their unconscious forms back to the Illuminati base.

"Now look where we are, and we can't do anything about it," cried Hans.

"Actually there is something you can do," said a voice from another cell.

"Who said that?" asked Gunter.

"I am Gill, the son of Zephyr, I along with my brother was tossed down here for disagreeing with his ploy, but I believe I know of a way to help free you two," answered Gill.

"Enter the tournament?" questioned Hans.

"Exactly, as long as my father doesn't win his fight against the tournament winner, you humans will be fine and you two will no longer be slaves," explained Gill.

"But I can't enter, my arm is broken," grumbled Gunter while looking at his arm cast in disappointment.

"Don't worry Gunter, I shall enter and represent the both of us," said Hans.

"You're a good brother Hans, and I wish you and everyone else who will end up fighting in this tournament good luck," said Gill.

"Yeah, I wish you good luck too Hans," added Urien.

In his dungeon cell, Hans began to work out again starting with push-ups. And as he exercised Gunter kept count of how many repetitions Hans accomplished with each exercise.

In the city of Moscow, Russia, it was a sad day for the Russians, their beloved hero Zangief the Red Cyclone was murdered and his funeral was scheduled for tomorrow. All that day on the news and in the streets, all that could be heard was how great of an asset Zangief was to the people of Russia.

In St. Basil's Cathedral, three mutants silently prayed at the cathedral altar. As they prayed, the pastor was making preparations for Zangief's funeral.

After about five minutes, the mutants finished their prayers and then looked at the pastor lighting candles.

"Pastor Vladimir, we just wanted to say thank you for letting us stay here to avoid our predators," said Necro.

"You're welcome. Besides, I think this Illuminati you told me of had something to do with Zangief being murdered," replied Vladimir.

"Yeah, I believe their new leader Zephyr is trying to send a message to us," piped in a short female mutant named Effie.

"Zangief…was the sacrificial l-l-lamb, this Z-Z-Zephyr is telling…us through his death that this w-w-will happen to us soon after his…tournament is over," gasped the third mutant, a pale skinned, red haired mutant codenamed Oblique.

"Are you sure of this Gyorgy?" asked Necro to Oblique.

"Yes, don't you remember Zephyr's… message to the w-w-world? He s-s-said that we've…been tainting the planet for too long and that if we l-l-lose this tournament of his that he…will exterminate us all," gasped Oblique.

"I see your point Oblique, I'm sure that gives you more incentive to hate the Illuminati, but you shouldn't hate anything, no matter what," replied Vladimir.

"How could we not hate them? First they mutated us without permission, now this new leader wants to bring and end to humankind! I do hate them!" screamed Effie.

"I understand, but maybe you should join the tournament, the Illuminati may have a way to reverse your transformation, and it would be a way to save us all and avenge the death of Zangief," suggested Vladimir.

"I thought you were a nonviolent person," said Necro.

"In this case, I must make a exception, forgive me Father," said Vladimir.

"I will…enter, I am the one with the l-l-least t-t-to lose," announced Oblique.

"Don't say that Gyorgy!" retorted Necro.

"Why not, it's the t-t-truth…I'm just a killer, you h-h-have your whole life ahead of you Illia, you and E-E-Effie deserve… to live happy lives without f-f-fear of being pursued by these… Illuminati demons," responded Oblique.

"Oblique, that was very meaningful. No matter what you've done, to put yourself at risk for those you care for must have God smiling down on you now, may he be with you throughout this escapade of yours," cheered Vladimir.

"Thank y-y-you Pastor Vladimir," replied Oblique.

"Come, we must prepare for the tournament, we have a lot to do and only two months to accomplish all we need to in preparation for the war that awaits us," said Effie.

"Yes, but before we do, let us pray once more, for Gyorgy, for Zangief, and for all humankind," suggested Necro.

The four in the cathedral knelt at the altar once again and prayed silently for hope.

Author's Note: Another chapter cranked out by me, and in case you haven't read my OC profiles, Oblique's real name is Gyorgy Kaminski. And the reason his speech is a little weird is because his mutation affected his speech quite a bit. Next chapter, three more character's stories. Anyways, please read and review. Thank you.


	7. Inner Fury

Chapter 6: Inner Fury

In the city of Toronto, Canada the weather was cold. Even though it was summer the country was still close enough to the North Pole to keep the weather from getting truly warm. The city folk went about their daily routines dressed in warm garb and just about all of Toronto's denizens were anxiously looking forward to the Stanley Cup championships.

That is all but one man, a slender young man around his mid twenties, he had steely green eyes and his long brown hair was reminiscent of a typical rock star. The man was dressed in a yellow hockey jersey, black pants and yellow sneakers. He reclined on his couch and grumbled to himself incoherently.

That man, hockey star Pietro Omakovski was furious over the fact that he was unable to assist his team in the finals due to the fact that he was suspended for the remainder of the team's season and for part of next season as well. But then again, he was usually furious most of the time; his nickname on the rink was Angry Moose after all. So he was notorious for starting fights in the hockey rink.

"Fuck this bullshit eh. I should be on that ice scoring goals left and right, but no, I'm suspended just because I hospitalized two players and their coach, what a fucking rip off!" screamed Pietro to himself.

As Pietro finished his rant, his long time friend, roommate, and teammate Pierre Reynard sauntered into the living room in casual attire with his hockey equipment packed inside of his duffel and shot a look of concern at the enraged Pietro.

"Pietro, you need to calm down, you're lucky that you weren't banned from hockey. Just calm down, keep yourself in good condition and when your suspension is over you'll be back on that ice doing what you love to do," advised Pierre.

"Which is knocking the opposing team's chumps on their rear ends. But unfortunately I can't do that out in civilian life or get hauled off to jail, I'm fucking bored as hell eh," grumbled Pietro.

"Please cease your complaining, chill out and watch the game, wish the team luck," responded Pierre.

"Eh, whatever floats your boat man, good luck," said Pietro as he collapsed back into the sofa.

As Pierre exited the house, Pietro fumbled around for the remote control. When he finally found the elusive device, he aimed it at the television and turned the game on listening to the announcers ramble on about what team they thought would take home the championship trophy.

"HMPH, if I were there we'd have that trophy no contest, the other team wouldn't even stand a snowball's chance in Hell," groaned Pietro.

Pietro shut off the TV and headed over to his computer and decided to check his e-mail, while checking what mail he had, he found something interesting amassed in all the spam.

"Hey my friend Remy sent me a message, I'll have to see what old Frenchy has to say," piped Pietro.

Pietro clicked the mouse on Remy's message and immediately read the contents, which said the following.

Hey Pietro, I heard about your suspension from hockey, sorry about what happened but you really need to learn to simmer down. Don't use your anger for destructive purposes. But I know you must be bored since you can't be skating with your fellow teammates, so I thought I'd tell you that there is a tournament going on in about two months from now. If you're looking to fight without worrying about being jailed for breaking the law, you should enter. There is bound to be a lot of strong warriors there so they'll most likely give you a good challenge and it could help you get in shape for next hockey season. Although I'm not into fighting, if you enter, I'll be there to cheer you on my friend, au revoir from your friend, Remy.

"All right, a tournament this is something I've been waiting to hear. I'll get to knock some heads in, I'm loving this!" hollered Pietro ecstatically.

After logging off the Internet and turning off his computer, Pietro speedily grabbed his equipment and threw it on. After all that was finished he got on the telephone and called Pierre, but unfortunately, got his answering machine.

"Eh mate, you've reached the cell phone of Pierre Reynard, sadly I can't tend to your call right now, I'm probably too busy at the moment, so just leave a message eh," said the answering machine.

"Hey bitch, I know you're probably busy getting ready for the game, but call me as soon as you possibly can, I have to tell you about this tournament I'm entering so call me back fucker! HAHAHA, later!" yelled Pietro.

Hanging up the phone, Pietro burst out of his front door and ran towards the nearest frozen pond and started to skate around on it to work on his speed and reaction time.

"Oh yeah, Pietro Omakovski, the Angry Moose is back baby, and he's gonna be goring losers in two months at this tournament my buddy Remy told me about. Don't fuck with me!" shouted Pietro loudly to where all the people that lived around the area could hear his mighty battle cry.

On the other side of the world in Tokyo, Japan, the famous Kanzuki zaibatsu was in calamity. Zephyr had threatened that he would send the zaibatsu into ruin if they didn't turn over their business to him.

"Oh my God, this is terrible, I never thought I'd meet someone so powerful that they could threaten to bankrupt our family!" cried Karin Kanzuki.

"What's more perplexing is why does Zephyr want to do this to you, what have you done to the Illuminati to deserve this, I thought you didn't have any deals going with them," said her long time friend, Sakura Kasugano.

"I didn't, Zephyr is just an evil son of a bitch who wants to see us suffer," remarked Karin.

At that moment, a young Japanese teen entered the room where Karin and Sakura were talking. He had a black flat top with blonde streaks to make him stand out. He was dressed in a black designer suit and was wearing dark sunglasses, which masked his chocolate brown eyes. He was Godo Kanzuki, Karin's seventeen-year-old son.

"I'll have to agree with you on our dilemma mother. What's going on here is no good; we need to find a way to put a stop to Zephyr," chimed Godo.

"Godo this is none of your business! So just stay out of all of this!" yelled Karin.

"Yes it is my business Mom, don't you get it? This crisis doesn't affect just you, it affects me and all our family and friends," retorted Godo.

"I have to say that your son grows more and more like you everyday Karin," said a skinny Japanese man who was sitting down with his arm around Sakura.

"You're right Mitsukake, I'm beginning to know how my parents felt when I was young," replied Karin to the skinny man.

"Damn right I'm stubborn, and proud of it too," bellowed Godo.

"Well, how do you propose that we get our zaibatsu out of this hairy situation son?" questioned Karin.

"I'm going to participate in Zephyr's little martial arts tournament, by entering and winning, I can solve our problem easily," replied Godo.

As soon as Godo announced he was going to enter the tournament, another person entered the Kanzuki household. She was a young, petite Japanese girl, around the same age as Godo, she had long black hair down that flowed down to her lower back, deep brown eyes, and was clad in the traditional Japanese schoolgirl garb, which was a white blouse and navy blue skirt. She was Yumi Osawa, Godo's girlfriend.

"Hi everyone, how are things going?" asked Yumi.

"Not so good right now, not with Zephyr threatening to ruin the fortune of our zaibatsu," answered Karin.

"Yeah, I might have thought so," said Yumi.

"But don't worry about a thing babe, he won't be doing us no harm because I'm going to fight in that bastard's tournament and put a halt to these threats," announced Godo.

"I don't know if that's a good idea Godo, I know you're a proficient fighter but you're still young. You shouldn't carry a burden this heavy," advised Sakura.

"I'm doing this no matter what you say, if I don't stand up for my family, then I'm not a true Kanzuki!" hollered Godo.

"But…" started Sakura.

"Hey don't worry about him, if he wants to fight, then you know what, I'll enter as well so I can watch over him and make sure he comes home alive," interrupted Mitsukake.

"Aw, thanks Mitsukake, that's really nice of you to look after my son," said Karin who immediately gave the skinny fighter a big hug.

"Don't mention it, with the stuff I've learned from Sakura, I should be able to hold my own." said Mitsukake.

"We'll be cheering you on, and praying for your safety," chimed Yumi.

"Good to have fans, but anyways, how about a little sparring session between you and me eh Mitsu?" suggested Godo.

"You're on!" replied Mitsukake excitedly.

As Godo and Mitsukake walked off to go train with one another, Sakura laughed to herself

"Men, they always have to fight to prove their manhood don't they?" asked Sakura.

"Well, I think in this case, this might be the only way that could pull us out of our jam that we're in," answered Karin.

Over on the continent of Europe, in the country of Italy, city of Genoa, it was quite a normal day for the Italian folk. Aspiring artists were selling artwork on the street corners. The smell of pizza wafted up from the local eateries in hopes that the appetizing scent would lure people into shelling out some cash for a bite to eat. And the gondoliers were busy cleaning out their gondolas for those who might want to ride on one sometime during the day.

In an Italian pizzeria, a man around his mid thirties was busy kneading pizza dough and preparing the ingredients so he would be able to satiate the customers' hunger eventually. His fiancée, a woman in her early thirties aided her love in the pizza making process by grating cheese to place on the dough. The woman looked like an ordinary Italian girl, she had dark blue hair and blue eyes. She was clad in a purple dress with a yellow scarf around her neck. But unbeknownst to many people, the woman named Isabella was possessed by the spirit of Genoa's most famous fortune teller, Rose.

"Isabella, how goes the grating of the cheese?" asked Giovanni Leone, the man Isabella was engaged to.

"I'm almost finished Giovanni, I'm making sure I grate enough," answered Isabella.

"That's good, I can't wait to see the people happily sink their teeth into the pizza I cook for them!" exclaimed Giovanni.

"Well you are a great chef mi amore, I wouldn't expect anything short of spectacular work from you," said Isabella.

Giovanni kissed his future wife and then proceeded to place the first pizza of the day into the oven. As Isabella smiled at Giovanni, she felt a cold surge rush through her body.

"Isabella, I feel uneasy," said a voice.

"Rose, what is the matter?" asked Isabella.

"The people of the world are in danger, a malevolent deity threatens to eradicate all of mankind if a human does not defeat him in martial arts tournament two months from now," spoke Rose.

"Is that so, how could this be?" inquired Isabella.

"He sees humans as inferior specimens, and seeks to prove his point by crushing the winner of this tournament, the fate of the world rests on one person," answered Rose.

"If that is the case, I suppose I could put your soul at ease by quelling this monstrous evil," piped Isabella.

"Exactly, you must enter this tournament," ordered Rose.

"Isabella, what is wrong with you, who are you talking to?" asked Giovanni as he was taking the pizza out of the oven.

At that moment, Rose began to speak to Giovanni using Isabella's body as a vessel.

"Giovanni, it is I, Rose. My soul has possessed your fiancée a while back," responded Rose.

"So that's why she's been acting a bit strange as of late," said Giovanni.

"Yes, I have to tell you that with my influence, she has to enter a martial arts tournament to bring down a deity named Zephyr who is hell bent on making humans extinct," spoke Rose.

"But Isabella doesn't know how to fight all that well, she'll get creamed," cried Giovanni.

"Not to worry, with my soul inside of her, she has access to my Soul Power, this will aid her in the tournament and insure her safety," assured Rose.

Giovanni gasped heavily, he was speechless over what was happening to the love of his life.

"This tournament takes place in two months, Isabella must prepare for this tournament as best as she can, I suggest you aid her in any way you can," informed Rose.

"Yes, I shall do what it takes to help out my love," said Giovanni.

Immediately after Giovanni finished speaking Isabella returned to normal.

"Thank you Giovanni, I promise you, I will be ok," gasped Isabella.

Giovanni embraced Isabella. As he held her in his arms all worry disappeared from his soul and a look of determination flared in his eyes as he was going to make sure that Isabella's skills were honed to their finest.

Author's Note: Another four character's stories done and next chapter will be another three people. Hey I have thirty-three people I have to do stories for and I've only done the story for seventeen people so far. But anyways later on I'm going to have to say how the older Street Fighter characters have aged since SF3. But please and review people.


	8. Major Decisions

**Chapter 7: Major Decisions**

It was a sweltering day in the city of London, England. The sun beat down on the British folk making most of them sweat hard even in the cool air-conditioned areas. It was even worse for the people that had to work with hot materials; the heat was so bad that many thought that they would pass out if they were outside for too long.

Over in one of the wealthier neighborhoods, a man in his late forties was busy having tea with his family. All the fans and air conditioners were running at maximum power just to keep the enormous mansion cool. The man was somewhat chubby, he had gray combed over hair that he seemed to keep playing with and was clad in a white cardigan and khaki colored tailored slacks, that man was the renowned aristocrat known as Wilfred Black, and he was going through a mid life crisis at the moment.

"Whew, I can't take this scorching weather for much longer love, it'll be much better when the autumn time rolls around," said Wilfred's wife Emily.

"Oh this weather, it's nothing to me, I can handle it," scoffed Wilfred.

"Yeah right dad, you know it bothers you as well so don't try and play it off by saying that it doesn't," responded Wilfred's eldest son, Ian.

"What, I'm cool dog, homeboy, whatever it is you kids these days say," joked Wilfred.

"Dad please don't try to speak in hip hop lingo, it just sounds really lame when you try to do that, it's embarrassing," remarked his daughter Rebecca.

"But I'm trying to embrace what the young ones like now, is it wrong to show interest in something?" inquired Wilfred.

"No, but you need to accept the fact that you're not a spring chicken anymore father, you're getting old, I mean your hair is gray already and you're getting all wrinkly like a raisin," answered the youngest child, Norman.

"But being old sucks," grumbled Wilfred.

"Honey, you're just going through a mid-life crisis, getting old isn't all that bad, as long as you have your health," said Emily.

"And what else, I don't want to be one of those senile old seniors that have to wear Depends because their bowels are shot and spends their days doing nothing but telling a bunch of lame stories and watching reruns of Matlock constantly, that's not the life I want to end up living when I'm old," cried Wilfred.

"You're a martial artist though father, and those that do martial arts usually age better than those that don't," piped Ian.

"Still, I don't have the stamina I used to, I know that, I'm not going to be able to hang with the younger bucks for much longer," complained Wilfred.

"Wilfred, I think you should go talk to Eagle, he may be able to help you with your dilemma," suggested Emily.

"Ok love, I'll see you at dinnertime," said Wilfred.

Wilfred kissed his wife and waved to his children as he got into his shiny candy apple red Rolls Royce and quickly drove down to the pub where Eagle worked a bouncer, The Filthy Blagger.

"Ah jolly good, it's always easy to find parking here during the daytime, but that's because most people usually don't come here to get smashed until the moon arises into the sky," thought Wilfred to himself.

Wilfred parked the Rolls Royce and secured it well to make sure no one would try to pilfer his prized vehicle and then stepped through the doors of The Filthy Blagger. Unlike the pub's namesake, the place was rather clean. All the glasses were shined at hanging on a rack behind the bartender and the floors looked as if they were just mopped. The pub was nearly empty, only a few men sat at the barstools, each of them was sipping on a cold bottle of British beer as they listened to the music that reverberated throughout the clean Filthy Blagger.

"Hey bartender, have you seen Eagle around?" asked Wilfred as he planted his bum on a barstool.

"Sure thing Mr. Black, I'll go get the bloke for you," said the bartender as he finished polishing a glass pitcher.

Around two minutes later, the bartender came back with Eagle. Eagle was dressed his trademark bouncer uniform, but like Wilfred, he was aging. His hair was gray as well and his hairline was starting to recede to where the front of his head was completely bald. His skin was starting to resemble the texture of a prune, but Eagle still had a lot of vim and vigor in him.

"Wilfred, what brings you here?" asked Eagle.

"I'm going through a mid life crisis, I know I'm getting old but yet I still want to show that I'm just as reliable as someone younger than I am," explained Wilfred.

"I understand what you're saying chap, I went through that myself, but I proved I'm a better bouncer then all the steroid pumping freaks that do my job, you need a way to prove you still have the spirit of a man in his twenties, and I think I have a way to do so," remarked Eagle.

"Really, how so?" asked Wilfred with a gleam in his eye.

"You know this Street Fighter tournament that being hosted by some fuckwit named Zephyr, I say you enter and kick some bum!" exclaimed Eagle.

"Sounds like a righteous idea, I'm gonna do it," said Wilfred.

"Great, tomorrow I'll come by your place and we'll begin your training, you need to get in shape you've got a bit of a gut," informed Eagle.

"Right on then, well, I'll see you bright and early tomorrow," cheered Wilfred as he exited the dark pub, got back into his Rolls Royce and sped back to his mansion.

In the city of Atlanta, Georgia it was a typical summer night. Bars, clubs, beaches and most of the city streets were littered with hard partying college students that were busy enjoying their time off until the fall semester rolled around. Nearly everywhere you went there was a crowd of drunken students doing something crazy making the cops extremely busy that evening.

At one of those beaches, a young man was reclining on the sand with his best friend and his girlfriend. He was busy playing with his cornrows and laughing his ass off at the shenanigans of some of his fellow classmates. From the way he was acting you could tell he was a little buzzed, but not overly drunk. The man had a slim yet muscular build and was clothed in a bright red tank top and black swim trunks. He also taught his Tae Kwon Do class at the University of Georgia. He was Georgia martial arts champ, Frederick Lowe.

"Hey Frederick, this party kicks ass doesn't it?" asked his friend Larry Feldman who was quite obviously tanked because his speech was heavily slurred.

"Yeah, I say it's gonna be a great summer, and I could use some time off from my training, although I'm not gonna get lazy on it, there are gonna be days where I just say fuck it I'm gonna go have some fun," responded Frederick.

"I agree, but I could do without all these drunk slobs trying to hit on me every day, but I guess that's something you have to put up with at a party like this," chimed Frederick's girlfriend Natalie St. John

"Damn right baby, now how about you give me a little love?" suggested Frederick as he leaned over and started groping his girlfriend's chest.

Natalie slapped Frederick in the face and said to him sternly "Not in public Frederick, wait until later after you've sobered up."

"HAHAHAHAHAHA, you got slapped in face!" guffawed Larry still in his drunken stupor.

"Shut up!" snapped Frederick to Larry.

"Oh come on you know I love ya man, unh excuse me, I must yak!" grumbled Larry as he ran off to the ocean and blew his chunks.

Frederick and Natalie laughed as Larry continued to vomit. Just then Frederick's cell phone rang,

"Aw damn it," groaned Frederick.

Frederick continued to grumble to himself as he picked his cell phone up and answered it.

"Hello," said Frederick.

"Frederick, I have some bad news, someone took the family dojo from us," cried out a masculine sounding voice over his phone.

"What you mean someone took the family dojo dad?" stammered Frederick.

"This odd looking silver haired bastard named Zephyr bought it out right from under our nose, apparently he's going to use it for his own twisted purposes!" informed Frederick's father, Emerson Lowe.

"Oh my God, we gotta find a way to get it back, what he did is most likely illegal anyways!" hollered Frederick.

"No point, he plans to eradicate all humankind in two months from now after this little tournament he's hosting, and from the bad vibes I felt, he definitely has the power to do so," cried Emerson.

"Well that settles it then, I'm going to fight in this shit head's little tournament, I'm gonna get the dojo back and make sure the humans live on, mark my words Dad, I won't fail!" screamed Frederick over the phone.

"Well if you're going to do so, you better start your training now, it's going to take a lot of grit and heart to take Zephyr down," suggested Emerson.

"Will do Dad, I'll see you later tonight," said Frederick hanging up his phone.

"What is this tournament you're talking about?" questioned Natalie.

"Some motherfucker named Zephyr has taken the dojo away from my dad and so I'm gonna fight to get it back meaning I'm going to train every day until the tournament, that means no more partying for me," replied Frederick.

"Aw weak man," rasped Larry who had just returned from his vomiting.

"Yeah, but let's just say no one will ever get to party again if Zephyr decimates the tournament's winner so I gotta make sure that if I win that I'm in the best shape I can possibly be, so I'm gonna go home, call my buddy Blanka and have him help me prepare for what lies ahead," retorted Frederick.

"Well if that's the case you have our support," said Larry and Natalie.

"Good now let's get going," ordered Frederick.

The three young people grabbed their gear and walked off the beach towards Frederick's car in order to help Frederick prepare for Zephyr's nefarious tournament.

Back in Washington D.C. a young Air Force pilot lay on his hotel room bed gazing up at the ceiling in deep thought, a look of unrest rested in his dark blue eyes.

"It's really true, the apocalypse may be coming soon. This is bad; all those that barely had a chance to live are going to die if we fail in our mission. Damn this is quite a burden that rest on the shoulders of me and thirty one other brave men and women," thought the young man.

At that moment, three people entered the pilot's hotel room, two of them were the U.S Secret Service agents Reginald Biggs and Vicki Small, and the other was Shadaloo's former Killer Bee Cammy White.

"Scott Wagner, glad you could join us now we must go visit our boss for more briefing," said Vicki.

"Ok, I'm all set to go, but hey Cammy, what brings you here?" inquired Wagner.

"Guile told me about how the Secret Service asked you to aid them in their investigation of the Illuminati and then Vicki asked me to come down to help you and her train for this upcoming tournament that you and her must engage in," responded Cammy.

"Wow, well I'm happy to see you!" exclaimed Wagner.

"We also received news that Colonel Guile's daughter will be aiding at the tournament, but we won't be seeing her until then, her father has taken on the responsibility of training her," added Vicki.

"Excellent, having Amy along will be most helpful to our cause, I can tell you that she is a quick study and a very competent opponent," said Wagner.

"Then we are happy to have her helping us," remarked Vicki.

"Indeed, but enough talk for now, we can't keep our boss waiting forever," piped Reginald.

"Oh yeah, we mustn't dawdle here any longer, let's go now," said Wagner.

Wagner, Vicki, Cammy, and Reginald all left the hotel and drove off to the Secret Service headquarters to meet Vicki and Reginald's boss for more briefing on their mission.

Author's Note: Ok, so all my original characters and Chan and Jami's character have been introduced into the story so far, hopefully they'll let me know how I did in portraying their characters. Next chapter is more characters and well De; your character Yin will show up next chapter. Please and review folks.


	9. Protecting Our Home

**Chapter 8: Protecting our Home**

Back in Hong Kong, it was another nice day as far as weather was concerned. The sun's rays shone brightly on the town as numerous folks were already prepared to start their daily routines whether it is work, school, or simply lollygagging about in the Hong Kong streets.

In one Hong Kong household, a Chinese man around his early to mid thirties arose from his slumber and lazily rubbed his eyes. He then ran a hand through his spiky brown hair and leapt out of his bed carefully so he wouldn't accidentally wake his wife.

"Another routine day, gosh, life has been so boring since that day, the day me and my brother faced off against that Gill fellow. His prophecy still sends sharp chills down my spine. Sure life got a little better for me after marrying Shaomei, but still I would like to fight someone like Gill again," thought Yang Lee as he proceeded to take a shower.

As Yang showered, he thought back to the day him and his twin brother Yun squared off the Illuminati's former leader Gill.

It was a warm night at the Illuminati headquarters; Yun and Yang had just finished their duel with Gill in the main hall. Beads of sweat rained down from the Twin Dragons' foreheads while Gill stood tall in front of the two, not showing any visible signs of fatigue at all. Gill slowly started to applaud the two young men making them both raise an eyebrow in confusion.

"That was a wonderful performance, to show my gratitude I leave your village in the care of you two. You'd be perfect for my ideal world," said Gill.

"Ideal world, that'll never happen, get a clue!" scoffed Yun.

Gill laughed a bit and said to Yun "Ah, I see you do not yet understand what the future holds for you two."

"Huh?" asked Yun with a perplexed tone in his voice.

"In the near future, two opposing forces of great power will collide. These forces will wreak chaos on the world; death and destruction will plague the land. And after many days of darkness, a man with the ability to control the elements will lead the people to salvation," spoke Gill in an ominous tone.

Yun and Yang stood motionless as they listened to Gill's prophecy, as soon as the golden haired deity was done speaking he silently left the brothers' presence. Yang looked over at his brother will a look of concern in his eyes.

"Brother, I don't like what he just said. His words...they're very troubling to me," stammered Yang.

"Get a grip Yang, we're not gonna let some wannabe supreme being control our future, now let's go home, we'll make our own dreams come true," responded Yun confidently.

Those words that Yun said as they left continued to echo in Yang's mind, indeed everything seemed to be going just fine for their village after their fight with Gill, but now another horrifying feeling shot down Yang's body making him shiver as he stepped out the shower and got dressed into a black business suit and a red tie.

"Everything has been great for the past thirteen years, but now I get the feeling that whatever Gill was talking about is about to happen, something is wrong, but I can't quite put my finger on it," mused Yang to himself.

As Yang slowly plodded over to the kitchen, Shaomei was sitting at the table eating breakfast; Yang grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down with his wife after adjusting his bright red tie.

"Good morning sweetie, you seem tense today, is something wrong?" asked Shaomei with a sweet tone in her voice.

"Something is not quite right, I feel the world is in peril and something dreadful is going to occur soon," answered Yang.

"You know honey, I've getting that bad vibe ever since I found out about that Street Fighter tournament that being sponsored by some enigmatic person that goes by the name of Zephyr," replied Shaomei.

"Say, what else do we know about Zephyr?" questioned Yang.

"Well what's been going around is that he's the new leader of the Illuminati, which makes me fearful for our village, he might go against what Gill said to you and Yun. He'll probably do something bad to the people here," cried Shaomei.

"If that is the case, then I have to make sure that this village stays in our hands, and doesn't get terrorized by this bastard, I'll fight in his tournament, later on I'm going to let Yin and Yun know about this, I sure could use their help, and so could the rest of us, but right now I have to get to work," stated Yang.

"Ok Yang, I'll see you tonight, and you better be careful at the tournament too," said Shaomei.

"Don't worry, I'll be just fine babe," reassured Yang who then gave his wife a soft kiss before running out the door and speedily jumping into his car and driving off toward his job.

"Zephyr, if he's the leader of the Illuminati, then what happened to Gill? It's indeed a puzzling question, damn it, I better not let this cloud my mind right now, but I can't ignore the uneasy feeling in my gut that I get from just hearing his name," cogitated Yang.

On the other side of Hong Kong, two young women walked out of a movie theater. The two had just sat through "Drunken Monkey Fist" and immediately began talking about it while walking down the crowded streets.

"You know, that Quock guy is quite a competent martial artist, I don't know why the tabloids would label him a fake," said one of the women, she was a dark haired Chinese woman, her hair in pigtails, she was dressed in a bright green strapless top that showed off a small hint of cleavage, low cut blue jeans and white sneakers.

"Eh, you know how those magazines are Yin, they like to fling shit on celebrities because it helps their B.S. make money, it's sickening if you think about it," replied her friend, a slim Japanese girl with long dark hair that came down to her shoulders, she was dressed in a yellow and black striped jacket with a black T-shirt underneath and was also wearing black pants and black loafers.

"That's true Kaoru, but did you hear that Quock is going to fight in a Street Fighter tournament in two months from now?" inquired Yin.

"No I didn't, who told you about that?" asked Kaoru.

"Apparently Fei Long is friends with my brothers and he told them about how Quock is busy training and that he's postponed production for his next movie "The Twisted Tiger" so he can devote more time to training," piped Yin.

"Hmm, should be interesting to see the prima donna in a real fight, you know anyone else that's going to enter?" asked Kaoru.

"Well many fighters from all over the world, but other than Quock, I don't know who the other participants are," answered Yin.

"Maybe you should fight in this tournament, I'm sure you'd do quite well," suggested Kaoru.

"Oh come on, you know my brothers would probably forbid me to do so, God they still treat me like I'm still in diapers sometimes it just pisses me off!" shouted Yin.

"Hey, you could try asking them to let you enter, it doesn't hurt to try after all, and if not I'll fight even though there probably isn't anyone that would be good enough for even a warm up," remarked Kaoru.

"I guess so, besides I have to see my brothers tonight, so I'll ask them when I see them," said Yin.

In a Hong Kong eatery called Triple Dragons Cuisine. Yun Lee was busy going over some paperwork that would allow for money to remodel his restaurant. The place was indeed getting old, after all, his uncle Gen was the original owner of the restaurant and now it had been passed down to him and Yun ran the place along with his wife, Hoimei.

"Hey Yun, you still haven't finished signing all those papers yet?" asked Hoimei.

"No honey, there's so many to sign, not to mention I'm not clear with all of the things the papers mention," responded Yun.

"Well sign them anyways, the sooner we get this place fixed up the better!" hollered Hoimei.

"Ok, don't have to yell at me all right," grumbled Yun.

"And by the way, Yang wants to see you tonight after we close up shop, just thought I'd let you know," added Hoimei.

"Ok, thanks Hoimei," replied Yun.

Hoimei then walked back out into the main area of the restaurant to finish serving the hungry customers that were waiting for their food.

"Hmm, I wonder what Yang wants to see me about, did he also get a hold of Yin as well, maybe it has something to do with what's been going on lately in the world today," thought Yun to himself.

Yun continued to muse on that thought while gazing at his paperwork. Later that night, Yang finally arrived back at his house where he found Shaomei, Yin, and Kaoru waiting for him in their living room.

"Hey, where's Yun?" asked Yang.

"Him and Hoimei are on their way, it took them a while to close up their restaurant because they had a busy day today," responded Yin.

"Well then, I suppose we'll have to wait for Yun to show up," grumbled Yang.

"Hey no need brother, sorry I'm late!" yelled Yun as he burst through the door, Hoimei slowly followed.

"Ok good, now everyone's here I guess I can begin speaking," said Yang.

"Yeah, what did you want to see us all about?" asked Yun.

"Well you know about all the strange happenings that have been going on around the world this past month right?" asked Yang.

"Of course, what does this have to do with us?" inquired Yin.

"Well I believe that this Zephyr is behind all of this and being that he's running the Illuminati now, I feel he might come for our village soon," answered Yang.

"Hmm, you know I never thought about that," remarked Yin.

"So what should we do about it Yang, how are we going to protect our village from him?" asked Yun.

"You, me, and Yin are all going to fight in his little tournament, hopefully at least one of us will make it through the whole shebang," announced Yang.

"Sounds like a sweet plan to me, I'm up for a good fight," cheered Yin.

"I think I'll pass, after all someone has to look out for your home while you three are off fighting Zephyr," chimed Kaoru.

"Well that's nice of you to look after this village Kaoru, good luck with that," said Shaomei.

"Eh, it should be no sweat taking care of this place, not like anyone else that lives here can give me a good fight," commented Kaoru.

"Well then, that wraps up what I wanted to see you guys about, tomorrow, we start training bright and early, I'll see you then," said Yang as Yun, Yin, Hoimei, and Kaoru left Yang's house.

As Shaomei walked off to take a shower, Yang plopped down on his couch as the cryptic words Gill spoke to him and his brother thirteen years ago crept back into Yang's skull.

"I can't help but think that this prophecy may be true, Gill may have been speaking the truth when he told us of the impending judgment day, but we can't let Zephyr be the one to pass judgment on us," thought Yang.

Meanwhile, in a dark alley in the seedy underbelly of Hong Kong, a mysterious figure lay hidden from the folk that milled about outside, he was clad in a chocolate brown fedora, slacks, and trench coat and the person's face was enveloped in a gray metal mask. This man was wanted by the United States CIA, and because of the many questions this person raised, he was dubbed with the name Q.

"Hmm, a Street Fighter tournament, this might be a good chance for me to hide away from the CIA, plus I could use a good fight. Not to mention that I'd like to face this Zephyr that everyone keeps speaking of. Just how powerful is this guy, I'll find out at that damn tournament," grumbled Q in a low baritone voice.

Immediately after finishing his sentence, Q walked out of the alley and off into the streets, his destination, wherever he felt like going.

Author's Note: Well, Yin Lee in an OC belonging to my friend DeNice, hope I portrayed her correctly. Next chapter is gonna be the story for four more characters. So please read and review. I'm off to plan my next chapter out.


	10. Offspring Enter the Fray

**Chapter 9: Offspring Enter the Fray**

San Francisco, California. It was another balmy summer day in the Bay Area. The sun shone brightly reflecting its rays off the clear water of the San Francisco Bay. Like every day in the bustling city, pedestrians littered the streets. Many people scrambled to catch a trolley or the BART to try and get to work or wherever they needed to be. The smell of fresh seafood wafted from the harbors into the crisp air and the stores were cluttered with numerous customers.

Over in a quieter spot of San Francisco, stood the Masters' Manor. Home of the prestigious 5-time US Martial Arts champion Ken Masters. In the backyard of his grand home, the Flaming Dragon was tied up in training his eighteen-year-old son Mel Masters.

"Ok Mel, come at me with all that you've got!" ordered Ken.

The young man struck a combat pose, his dark brown eyes fixated on his father. A cool breeze made Mel's spiky blonde hair and sky blue gi ruffle in the wind. Without warning, Mel lunged at his father and threw out a hard roundhouse kick to the stomach; Ken parried and retaliated with a fierce punch as Mel reacted with a parry of his own. Mel flipped back and put his hands in a formation that Ken was familiar with.

"Hadoken!" yelled Mel.

The bright blue energy wave sped quickly at Ken, who rolled out of the way to avoid it. As he got back into his ready stance, Mel was airborne and immediately stuck both feet out and dropped feet first down at his father.

"Jackknife Drop!" hollered Mel.

The move connected with Ken's ribs causing him to stagger back.

"Tornado!" shrieked Mel.

Spinning at his father attempting to land multiple kicks on him, Ken blocked all five kicks and then struck back with his own spinning kick move.

"Tatsumakisenpukyaku!" yelled Ken.

Mel absorbed all five kicks and fell to the ground. But quickly regained his form and prepared his next move.

"Springboard 1080!" screamed Mel.

Springing up to his feet with a sharp kick, he knocked his father into the air and then jumped and spun around three times with both fists out hitting him each time as he spun. Ken landed on the ground hard but Mel knew it would take more than a Springboard 1080 to take down his father.

"Now let's win this one, Shoryu Justice!" hollered Mel.

Mel attacked with a super move that started similar to his father's Shoryureppa, but incorporated a few Flash Kicks, which he learned from his uncle Guile into the maneuver. As he prepared to finish the move, he spiraled upward with his fist in the air and then while still airborne delivered a sharp kick to his father's solar plexus sending Ken falling down to the earth. Still Ken wouldn't stay down.

"Good one son, but let me show you how it's done, Shinryuken!" screamed Ken.

Spiraling upward just like Mel did towards the end of his Shoryu Justice, Ken nailed Mel with eighteen powerful blows to the face and chest area. Mel fell hard on his back and groaned in pain. Ken then walked over and helped his son up to his feet.

"Good job son, you're really improving, but if you really want to do well in this tournament, you have to put a little more grit into your game," said Ken.

"I know Dad, it's just that even though I enjoy martial arts and sparring with you, I don't want to devote my life to being just a fighter, I want to establish my own identity. And even though I'm fighting in this Zephyr's Street Fighter tournament, I want people to think of me more than as just your son. I want to be able to accomplish my own goals," responded Mel.

"That's good that you feel that way, I won't push you into anymore tournaments after this, but the only reason I had you fight in this is because of what Guile told me about Zephyr, we're doing this for a greater cause, to help out the people of the world who can't defend themselves, and even those who can," replied Ken.

"I understand father, I'll do my best," said Mel.

"That's all I can ask you to do is to give every match your all," said Ken.

After a while, a curvaceous blonde haired woman ran out into the backyard where Ken and Mel were talking and tapped Ken on the shoulder. She was Ken's wife and Mel's mother, Eliza Masters.

"What is it Eliza?" asked Ken.

"You have a phone call honey, long distance," answered Eliza.

"Who is it?" inquired Ken.

"It's Chun Li," replied Eliza.

"Ok, Mel, when I'm done with this call we'll get back to training!" called Ken as he ran into the mansion to answer the phone.

"Ok, I'll just practice some katas while I wait," responded Mel.

Ken picked up the phone and put the receiver to his ear and proceeded to speak.

"Hello," answered Ken.

"Hi Ken, it's been a while," answered a feminine voice, from her accent, it was clear she was of Chinese origin.

"Sure has Chun Li, what's up?" asked Ken.

"I wanted to know if Guile has told you about the Street Fighter tournament being sponsored by that Zephyr fellow?" asked Chun Li.

"Yeah, I'm training Mel to prepare him for the tournament, I figure it's his turn to shine this time," remarked Ken.

"Ah, that's nice, my adopted daughter Kiyomi is fighting as well, I do train her but running this orphanage takes up a lot of my time so I don't get to train with her very often and I can't find a suitable sparring partner for her," grumbled Chun Li.

"Oh really, well we want her to be in top form for this tournament so if you'd like, Kiyomi can stay here with me and my family and she can train with my son, I think it'll do them both good as they can probably learn a lot from one another," said Ken.

"Really, you'd do that for me?" said Chun Li.

"Yeah, you're my friend, I'll even pay for her flight out here," piped Ken.

"Xie-xie, you know, I think I'll come down as well, I could use a vacation," remarked Chun Li.

"Oh, do you have someone who can look after the orphanage in your absence?" inquired Ken.

"Yeah, I do, anyways, I should go pack right now and get our tickets," said Chun Li.

"Sounds good, I look forward to seeing you and your daughter," replied Ken.

"See you later," cheered Chun Li.

"Take care," said Ken.

Ken hung up the phone and walked back outside. Mel was still busy with a kata while Eliza watched him.

"What did Chun Li have to say?" asked Eliza.

"Oh, her adopted daughter is entering in the tournament as well and they're coming down so Kiyomi can train with Mel," answered Ken.

"Are you sure about that father?" asked Mel.

"Yeah, it'll benefit you both since you can probably learn a few things from her and you can teach her some stuff as well," replied Ken.

"I guess that's all good then, I look forward to it," said Mel.

"Ok then it's settled, but for now, let's resume our training regimen, you ready son?" asked Ken.

"Sure am, let's go!" bellowed Mel he took his fighting stance yet again.

Over in Beijing, China, the former Interpol policewoman known as Chun Li was busy packing up her bags for her and her daughter's trip out to San Francisco. As she was packing, a young Chinese woman entered the room; she had long ebony hair that cascaded down to about the middle of her back and dark brown eyes. She was clad in a white and yellow tracksuit with black stripes going down the legs of the suit. It was Chun Li's adopted daughter Kiyomi.

"Mom, what are you packing for, are you going on a trip?" asked Kiyomi.

"You too, we're going to San Francisco to see an old friend of mine, pack a lot we'll be out there until after the tournament," answered Chun Li.

"What, why are we taking time off when we should be training, we need to take Zephyr seriously, we're talking the apocalypse here Mom!" screamed Kiyomi.

"I know, it's not just for fun, you're going to be training with my friend's son, he's entering the tournament too and he's a worthy sparring partner for you," replied Chun Li.

"Oh, this friend, it wouldn't happen to be Ken Masters would it?" asked Kiyomi.

"It is, his son is Mel Masters, I'm sure you two will get along quite well, after all you two are the same age as one another," said Chun Li.

"Hmm, ok, I'll start packing, but one question, who's going to look after the orphanage?" asked Kiyomi.

"Oh, I've got that one covered, I'll just call my old friend Wallace and have him fill in for me while we're gone," answered Chun Li.

Kiyomi nodded and then ran down to her room to pack her clothes. Chun Li then picked up her phone again and dialed Wallace's number.

"Hey, Chun Li, long time no talk!" exclaimed an American male's voice.

"Wallace, how did you know it was me?" asked Chun Li.

"Caller ID, anyways, what do you need from me?" retorted Wallace.

"I'm going to be spending some time in San Francisco and I need you to look after the orphanage," explained Chun Li.

"Oh, gonna see your boyfriend?" teased Wallace.

"Shut up! He's not my boyfriend, he's married!" snapped Chun Li.

"Yeah, but you know if he was single you'd be letting him tap that ass," joked Wallace who then guffawed at what he said.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that, just get your ass out to Beijing!" ordered Chun Li.

"Yeah sure, I'll be on the next flight out," assured Wallace.

"Thanks, I owe you one," responded Chun Li.

"Don't mention it," replied Wallace who then hung up the phone.

Chun Li and Kiyomi resumed their packing. Meanwhile, back in the USA, in the city of Seattle, Washington, a young blonde woman around her twenties was in the midst of training on an Air Force Base near her home. Sweat dripped from every sweat gland on her body due to the rigorous training she was undergoing, she was clad in a fatigue colored tank top and pants along with dark brown boots. She was Amy, the daughter of renowned Air Force soldier Guile.

"That's it Amy, keep going, don't let up!" barked out her father, the one and only Guile.

"Yes sir, father sir!" rasped Amy as she ran an obstacle course on the base's training field.

Amy quickly ran through the course without any problems, even though weariness was starting to catch up to her, Amy wasn't relenting an inch, not until she finished the obstacle course. When she finally finished she doubled over and started breathing heavily.

"Ok Amy, come over here, let's take a break!" ordered Guile.

Amy slowly hobbled over to where her father was standing; he threw her a dry towel and a bottle of water. Amy grabbed both and immediately put them to use.

"Hey dad, how come I couldn't accompany Wagner to D.C. to aid him with the Secret Service investigation?" asked Amy.

"I figured you could use a little more training and felt it would best for you to train at home. Don't worry though, the agents will give the low down on everything when you interface with them at the tournament," informed Guile.

"I see what you mean," stated Amy.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, you got a letter from your pen pal today, you can read it now if you want to," said Guile.

"Datta sent me a letter, how sweet," cooed Amy.

Amy didn't admit it to anyone but Guile could easily tell from her reactions whenever someone mentioned his name that Amy was falling in love with her pen pal. Guile just watched as Amy read the letter to herself. The letter read as follows.

Dear Amy, it's been a while since I've had a chance to write to you. But you know how it is over here in India, I'm still hard at work to make sure the multitude of people here who are impoverished can live an easier and happier life. Plus my life has changed ever since I received my powers from Agni, the God of Fire. My father tells me to use these powers only for good things, and I'm making sure I follow that as best as I can. This Zephyr that arrived, he gives me bad vibes, I can tell that he is a truly evil being, I guess you can tell as well and I suppose you are entering his tournament, well so am I. I'm very hard at work purifying my mind, conditioning my body, and cleansing my soul. I look forward to seeing you at the tournament; we sure have a lot of catching up to do. Let us pray that you and I can save these poor innocent people from Zephyr's wrath. I'll see you in two months. Love, Datta.

"All right, Datta is fighting too, it's gonna be great to see him!" cheered Amy.

"That's nice, but don't forget what you're main priority is," reminded Guile.

"Yeah I know, stop Zephyr, but still, it's been so long since I've seen Datta, I can't help but be excited," said Amy.

"Ok then, let's go do some weight training, to the gym we go!" ordered Guile.

"Yes sir," replied Amy.

With that, father and daughter walked off towards the base's gymnasium. Back on the East, in the city of Calcutta, India, a young male around the same age as Amy was meditating in a temple on top of his pet elephant. The man was slim, but muscular. His face was adorned with orange face paint that many who studied Yoga wore. He wore a white turban to keep his coal black hair out of his face, a purple vest, bright orange pants, and brown moccasins. This man was Datta, Amy's pen pal and the son of India's famous Yoga master, Dhalsim.

"Agni, give me the courage to save the people of this world from the malevolent Zephyr, give me the strength to do well in this tournament that holds the world's fate over it's head, give me the wisdom to use your powers right," prayed Datta.

Datta then started to chant his prayer in the Hindi language. His elephant trumpeted along with him. As Datta prayed, another man walked into the temple and gazed at Datta. The man was skinny, bald, and also sported the orange face pain, he wore white robes and a skull necklace, and this was Datta's father, Dhalsim.

"Son, how goes your meditation?" asked Dhalsim

"It goes well my father, I can feel Agni showing me the path I must take in order to help those who are in dire need of help," answered Datta.

"Then you are doing great Datta, but please, it is time to come home for dinner, your mother is waiting," said Dhalsim.

"Ok Dad, come on Kodal, let's go home," said Datta to his elephant.

Both Datta and Dhalsim rode back to their home on Kodal where Dhalsim's wife Sally was waiting for her husband and son.

"Great you're both back, now hurry up and eat, the curry is getting cold," said Sally.

"Ah, you know much I love your curry, it's one of the reasons I married you," said Dhalsim.

Datta chuckled a bit to himself and asked, "What were the other reasons father?"

"That I'm going to keep to myself," answered Dhalsim.

"Anyways son, when are you going to marry that girl Amy, you two have been friends since you were five years old?" asked Sally.

"Who says I'm going to marry Amy?" asked Datta.

"I don't to read your mind to know that you love her, I say at the tournament, you should tell her how you feel, because you'll probably never find another girl that makes you as happy as she does, I know how ecstatic you get when you hear from her," said Dhalsim.

"Yeah, I just hope her father approves of me," responded Datta.

"Even if he doesn't, it is not his decision who Amy spends the rest of her life with, ultimately that decision is hers to make," remarked Dhalsim.

"You are right father, but first, we must make sure that we make through this tournament alive, that is our number one concern right now," said Datta.

"Exactly, let us quickly pray again for a good outcome," suggested Dhalsim.

Dhalsim, Sally, and Datta all knelt down and prayed in Hindi hoping that the gods would allow for humanity to continue existing.

Author's Note: When Chun Li said "Xie-xie" to Ken; she was saying "Thank you" in Mandarin. Also, Wallace was character from the Street Fighter Alpha anime movie, I felt like giving him a cameo here. Still have five more characters to do the story for, next chapter continues the stories for three or four more of them. Please read and review.


	11. More Familiar Faces

**Chapter 10: More Familiar Faces**

It was a cool night over in upstate New York. The night was rather quiet and pleasant in contrast to the noisy hustle and bustle of the big cities. Numerous crickets could be heard chirping and the roads were rather vacant as the cool breeze continued to wash over the area.

In a nearby forest, a group of people was huddled by a campfire roasting weenies and talking about many different things going on in their lives. One of the people was a middle-aged man, with short black hair and a somewhat shaggy beard and an average build. Right beside him was a young woman with long flowing strawberry blonde hair and bright blue eyes, she was a rather petite girl and seemed to be rather cheery. The other man was a buff blonde guy with his hair tied up in a red bandana; he sat down on the ground with a grim face.

"Ah, it feels good to get away from the raucousness of the city for a while don't you think so Patricia?" asked the black haired man to the woman.

"Indeed it does Father, plus I'm happy Alex came with us, we hardly ever get to see him anymore," chimed Patricia.

"Well, I am out here mainly to get my mental focus strengthened for the tournament, but I won't pass up an opportunity to be with you guys," piped Alex as he placed his frankfurter into a bun and began to eat it.

"That's understandable Alex, the serenity of a forest makes it an ideal location to train your mind which is just as important as training your body, especially if you run across that guy with the red headband you told me about," said Tom, the black haired guy.

"Although I would enjoy squaring off with that Ryu character once more, I still cannot shake the uneasy feeling I get from the host of the tournament Zephyr," remarked Alex.

"Indeed, he gives me the willies also, he does seem to be a lot more malevolent than Gill," responded Tom.

"Gill, was that the red and blue guy that Alex faced thirteen years ago?" inquired Patricia.

"Yes, that is the same we are talking about, for some reason I think he wasn't fighting me full strength, he was reserved during our match, he told me that there was something special about me, but yet I can't quite put my finger on why I'm so special to this guy," pondered Alex.

"Maybe he's in love with you," joked Patricia in between bites.

"No, it's not like that, I mean as far as my fighting skills, am I supposed to do something with my skills in the near future?" asked Alex.

"Hmm, could be, the stuff he speaks of is almost prophetic, I suggest you speak with him during the tournament, maybe you'll find some of the answers you're looking for there," advised Tom.

"Yeah, I will do that, but first off I have to make sure that Zephyr does taste defeat, because I know that his vision of this world's future is a lot more dark and evil that Gill's was," said Alex.

"I know, his means of luring fighters to his competition were quite suspicious, I think he might be trying to bait them into some kind of a trap," stated Tom.

"No, I don't think he's trying to do sabotage the actual tournament, but I don't question the premonition that he does have ulterior motives, I'm certain he has those," replied Alex.

"Exactly, I've heard many things about him wanting to end the era of humans, and from the looks of the guy, I'd believe that," said Patricia.

"Looks can be deceiving, but in Zephyr's case, he most likely is an evil hearted person of whatever the hell he is," remarked Tom.

"That is why I must fight, to protect you guys, and to finally find out why Gill let me win the fight with him!" exclaimed Alex.

"Ok then, but right now I'm getting sleepy, I'm going to turn in for the night," announced Tom.

"Me too," added Patricia.

"I'm staying up for a while, I think I'll meditate for a bit and reflect on all of the things that we know," said Alex.

"Well then good night my friend," spoke Tom in a low tone as he crawled into his beige colored tent.

"See you in the morning Alex," said Patricia as she walked over and hugged Alex before retiring to her tent.

Alex just sat staring straight at the flames in front of him. The fire that burned bathed his face in an orange glow as he contemplated over the things that have been happening over the past thirteen years, about how after his victory over the mysterious Gill he met the vagabond warrior known as Ryu. Although the Japanese man beat him quite easily, Alex felt and adrenaline rush like no other one during his battle with him. It was the desire to become stronger that led Alex to travel the world and learn new skills so that way when he met Ryu again, he would do better in their next match. Yet the prophecy that Gill told Alex about his future still lay embedded in the blonde haired man's mind and the ominous threat of Zephyr kept those words throbbing in Alex's brain.

"I have so many questions that I don't how to ask them all, but finding the answer to them will make me a stronger person, I wonder where those answers lie," thought Alex.

Alex rose to his feet, picked up a bucket of water near him and extinguished the campfire; he stood staring at the cold ash for a few minutes, brushed off his pants, and breathed a deep sigh before heading over to his tent.

On the other side of the world in Kyoto, Japan, a young woman was busy mulling over some designs for men and women's clothing. She scratched her head as she sat at her desk eyes fixated on the picture of the clothes in front of her. The woman was Japanese; she had a wild black hairdo and piercing brown eyes. She was quite a curvaceous woman clad in a gray business suit that draped over her sexy figure well. She was the famous fashion designer Ibuki, who was also secretly a competent ninja warrior.

"Hmm, these designs are nice, but I think they could use a few improvements, let's see what I can do to spice it up," Ibuki said to herself.

In the midst of her brainstorming, a slender blue haired Japanese girl in a suit similar to Ibuki's ran into Ibuki's office and broke her train of thought. She was Ibuki's best friend, Sarai Kurosawa.

"Ibuki, I need you to come with me right now," stated the blue haired girl.

"What is it that is so important Sarai?" asked Ibuki.

"The master wishes to have a word with you," answered Sarai.

"Ok then, let's go!" exclaimed Ibuki.

Ibuki and Sarai left the building and ran all the way over to Ibuki's village, which was in a rural area of Kyoto. As the two women entered Ibuki's domicile, they found an elderly gray haired man draped in black ninja garb sitting cross-legged on Ibuki's floor. Ibuki and Sarai walked over to the old man and knelt down before him

"Sensei Meiji, what have you summoned me for?" asked Ibuki.

"I have another mission for you my faithful student," responded Meiji.

"It's been a while since I've been on a mission, so what is it that you need me to accomplish this time?" inquired Ibuki.

"I need you to obtain something from the Illuminati again," answered Meiji.

"The Illuminati, didn't we find out all about Gill's plan for a utopia from his G File already?" questioned Ibuki.

"Yes, but the Illuminati has a new leader, a enigmatic entity called Zephyr, I need you to obtain a file called the Z File from him, it has information about a project entitled the Z Project. That information is vital to the fate of mankind, can you acquire this file for us Ibuki?" interrogated Meiji.

"Yes sensei, I will do my best to get this file for the Tanooki ninja clan," said Ibuki boldly.

"Arigato, well in order to get the file you'll need to engage into the Street Fighter tournament he is holding, good luck," said Meiji.

"Arigato," responded Ibuki.

As Ibuki and Sarai headed back to their place of business, Ibuki started to mull over her mission.

"What is this Z Project that the Illuminati is taking into effect? Oh well, I guess I'll have to wait until the tournament to find out," mused Ibuki.

Up in another area of Kyoto, in the prestigious Rindoukan karate dojo, another young Japanese female was busy practicing a series of moves on a dummy that was hanging in front of her. The woman was short, average build, brown eyed, with black hair tied into a ponytail. She was wearing a baggy white karate gi; it was the sensei of the Rindoukan dojo, Makoto.

Thirteen years ago, after her father Masaru passed away, Makoto became the new leader of the Rindoukan dojo, her martial arts skills were remarkable and she was able to attract many students to the dojo to train in the art of Rindoukan karate. However as of late, the reservoir of eager students had begun to dry up as people were slowly becoming less interested in Makoto's brand of karate. It was becoming more difficult for Makoto to pay the bills for her dojo and she knew that she needed to find a way to get people interested in taking up Rindoukan once more.

"Damn, I can't believe that I'm losing students, I don't know why people wouldn't want to learn some form of self defense, it just doesn't make sense to me," thought Makoto.

As she focused on her troubles more the combos she was unloading on the unlucky dummy began to increase in intensity eventually Makoto unleashed a very powerful move on the dummy.

"Seichusen Godanzuki!" bellowed Makoto

The sheer force of the super move blew the dummy to pieces; Makoto's training came to a halt.

"Damn it, that's one thing I don't need right now is to have to replace something!" grumbled Makoto to herself.

Makoto wiped the sweat from her forehead and slowly placed herself down on the ground and began to meditate until an elderly bald monk in black and white robes walked into her dojo and sat adjacent from her.

"Are you Makoto?" asked the monk.

"Yeah, who might you be?" asked Makoto.

"My name is Retsu, I was a friend of the old master of Ansatsuken karate, Gouken, I fought in the original Street Fighter tournament," answered the monk.

"Ah, I've heard of you, you're a great fighter Retsu, but why are you here to see me?" asked Makoto.

"Simple, you want people to become interested in Rindoukan once more don't you?" inquired Retsu.

"Yes," answered Makoto.

"Well, then you should enter the upcoming Street Fighter tournament, even if you don't progress far, if you show how good of a fighter you are, I'm sure people's interest in your fighting style will be rekindled," suggested Retsu.

"Are you sure about that?" asked Makoto.

"Yeah, you won't believe how many people came up to the competitors of those tournaments wanting to train under them, even I had my share of people wanting to learn my style of fighting," said Retsu.

"Ok then, I'll do it, thank you, you've helped me take a step in breathing new life into the Rindoukan dojo," cheered Makoto.

"Now it's up to you to carry the rest of the load," piped Retsu.

Makoto and Retsu began to meditate together. Meanwhile, in the country of Brazil, city of Rio de Janeiro, a young Brazilian man was playing basketball at his house. He was dark skinned, had long black dreadlocks, and was clad in a basketball jersey and shorts that were the colors of the Brazilian flag, he was the first student of Ken Masters, Sean Matsuda.

Sean was handling the ball really well as he played around with it, after a short while of dribbling though, he decided to take the ball to the hoop, running at the basket full force he then leapt high into the air.

"Dragon Smash!" he screamed as he dunked the ball into the hoop.

Sean continued to play against himself for a while until a postman walked by.

"Mail call for Mr. Matsuda" called the postman.

"Oh hey, thanks," said Sean.

Sean skimmed through the mail until he found something that made his eyes light up in wonder, a letter from his sensei.

"Hey, Ken sent me a letter, I wonder what he has to say this time!" exclaimed Sean.

Sean hastily opened the letter and began to read it to himself. The letter said as follows

Hey Sean, it's your old sensei Ken. Are you staying on top of your training because although you have become a powerful warrior and have won some big tournaments, you cannot allow yourself to slack off. The reason I am writing to you is because I'd like to participate in a Street Fighter tournament that's being held two months from now, it's for something much bigger than a trophy though; you're fighting to save all of mankind. Mel is already going to fight, and I figured you might want to show some of the fighters there that you're no longer a novice. Show them how great a fighter trained by Ken Masters is. If you'd like you can come over to San Francisco so I can assist you and Mel with preparing for this major event. I hope to see you soon my friend. Later, Ken.

Sean gazed at the letter for a while, going over it a few more times and then took a deep breath.

"The fate of the world, that's a huge burden right there, but I'm game, plus it'll give me an opportunity to show how badass I truly am now. I better go get ready to head out to California," said Sean.

Sean sprinted into his house and prepared to pack for his trip out to San Francisco to see his sensei.

Author's Note: I made up the name for Ibuki's sensei because I don't know what his name is. Plus if you don't know, Tanooki is Japanese for raccoon and Rindoukan is Japanese for bellflower. Next chapter is the story for Ryu. So please read and review.


	12. Beyond My Fist

**Chapter 11: Beyond My Fist**

On the outskirts of Tokyo, Japan in a lush green-forested area lay a somewhat aged martial arts dojo. The building was showing many signs of age such as loose wood panels, the paint was slowly chipping and falling off and the windows were all boarded up. But still the bulk of the dojo was still sturdy enough for people to train and fight in.

Inside the old dojo sat two men; one was remarkably old, well over 150 years old. He was a somewhat short but very wrinkled yellow skinned man. His crimson red eyes lay focused on the other man across from him. He was clothed in purple robes tied together with a piece of rope and decrepit sandals; he was the master of the Senjutu fighting style, Oro.

"Are you ready for this match my student?" asked Oro to the other man.

"Hai sensei!" affirmed the man in a firm tone

Oro's student was a middle aged Japanese man with an average build. The man had short but somewhat shaggy gray hair and a long gray beard. He was clothed in a white karate gi and purple robes similar to his senseis. He also had on a faded red headband to keep his unkempt hair in check.

"Well then Ryu, come at me!" exclaimed Oro to the gray haired man.

"I'm ready!" shouted Ryu in retaliation.

Ryu and Oro both lunged at one another, Oro was able to effectively dodge all of Ryu's attacks using only one arm. Oro pushed Ryu back with a swift jab, but Ryu came at him with a quick snap kick to the sternum. Oro staggered a bit but then delivered a kick of his own. Ryu parried the attack and then retaliated with one of his most powerful moves.

"Shoryuken!" screamed Ryu.

Oro flew backwards from the powerful uppercut move but did a flip in midair and landed safely on both feet.

"Hmm, not bad Ryu, let's see how you do when I use both my arms," snickered Oro.

Releasing his other arm Oro let out a short chuckle as he jumped at Ryu and stuck out his right foot for another kick. Ryu blocked and tried to counter, but Oro hit him with a double axe handle punch before Ryu could react.

"Damn," grumbled Ryu as he sprang back up to his fighting position and ran at Oro for another attack, Ryu stuck out a roundhouse, Oro grabbed Ryu's foot with one hand and with the other fired his Nichiirin Shyou right at Ryu, knocking him back

"C'mon Ryu, that can't be your true potential, if so then these thirteen years that I've spent training you were a waste," taunted Oro.

Pumped up even more, Ryu intensified his assault, mixing up his attacks in no particular pattern to keep Oro on the defensive. Eventually, the old hermit found his opening and grabbed Ryu's left leg and slammed Ryu face first onto the hard wood floor. Ryu groaned from feeling the effects of the Niou Riki.

" I know you can do better than that," called out Oro as he began to smother Ryu with his own string of attacks. After about a minute of dodging and blocking, Ryu finally parried a strike and then stuck his palms out in familiar form.

"Hadoken!" yelled Ryu.

Oro reeled from the attack and the two ferociously attacked one another. Master and student matching each other blow for blow as their frenzied martial arts cries echoed through the dojo. For a while, their match was deadlocked, neither side relenting in the least bit, Oro was actually smiling as the sparring session progressed.

"He's actually holding his own against me while I'm using both my arms, I'm so proud of him, he's the perfect heir to the Senjutu style, I know I will soon be able to die peacefully," thought Oro to himself.

Ryu wasn't finished however, as he soon unleashed a move that surprised Oro.

"Tengu Stone!" hollered Ryu.

Oro's jaw dropped in amazement as he saw Ryu immediately call forth a move it had taken Oro many years to fully master. Numerous floating objects began to circle Ryu's body as Ryu launched a long combo, the effect of the Tengu Stone added more pain to the blows that Ryu was landing, Oro hit the ground with a thud and to Ryu's disbelief, was laughing haughtily.

"That's enough my student, you win, and you are indeed an amazing prodigy. I never thought someone could pick up on the Senjutu so quickly when it took you many years to fully master your old sensei's Ansatsuken style," chortled Oro.

"Yeah, indeed Master Gouken must be smiling down on me, I have you to thank for the progress I have made these thirteen years sensei Oro," spoke Ryu.

"HOHOHO, it feels good to be praised, and you deserve it for when I pass on you will be the master of two martial arts styles, you will probably have many eager young warriors wanting to learn from you," piped Oro.

"Hmm, yes ever since the day I avenged Gouken's death, I have become the master of the Ansatsuken style, I still can't seem to escape the memories that remind me of one of my darkest times, in my point of view," grumbled Ryu.

Ryu began to think back to five years ago when he faced off for a fight to the death against his old master's killer and brother, Akuma. It was a stormy night when the two martial arts behemoths clashed against each other. The lightning seemed to come down whenever one warrior would successfully land a hit on the other. Just like now with his sparring session against Oro, furious warrior cries arose frequently.

"Go Shoryuken!" shouted Akuma

Ryu flew back into a tree snapping the poor fir in two. The red haired warrior in the midnight blue gi rushed at Ryu as he fired a Hadoken at him, Ryu retaliated with his own Hadoken. Ryu and Akuma then threw a punch at one another trading hits; both staggered back but were shortly at each other's throats once again.

"I am still the master, you are still too weak to challenge me, even if you've been training with that old hermit for the past eight years!" bellowed Akuma as he nailed Ryu with his Tatsumakizankuukyaku.

"You are wrong Akuma, I fight to avenge all the great warriors you have killed, Adon, Gen, and most of all, my master!" yelled Ryu as he came back with his Tatsumakisenpukyaku.

Akuma flipped back up onto his feet and warped behind Ryu, Akuma put his palms together for another Hadoken, lightning began to crackle around his palms as he unleashed a deadly super move.

"MESSATSU GO HADOU!" hollered Akuma.

Ryu yelped in pain as he was blown into a giant boulder by the sheer force of Akuma's power. As Ryu landed on the dirt-covered ground, he let out a low painful moan.

"Pathetic, I thought you would be more of a challenge!" growled Akuma as he kicked Ryu into yet another tree.

"Uh, fuck," moaned Ryu weakly.

"Time for me to finish you once and for all and then me and your master have some unfinished business to attend to, maybe he'll give me a better fight," hissed Akuma.

"Don't you speak ill of Master Oro!" yelled Ryu as he exploded back to his feet and took the fighting stance of his master Oro.

"Hmm, so you're going to fight with the Senjutu style, you're still not going to win," said Akuma.

Akuma lunged at Ryu who was fighting in the same way Oro would normally fight, with one arm bound. And miraculously, Ryu was holding his own against Akuma in a totally different fighting style.

"How could this be, there is no way one could possibly master Senjutu in such a short time!" yelled Akuma.

"I'm a quick learner, plus I'm just like you in way, the fight is all that matters, but I'm in no rush to die!" retorted Ryu.

"You may be right, but I will still come out on top!" hollered Akuma.

Akuma teleported behind Ryu again, but Ryu quickly whirled around and grabbed Akuma's leg and then slammed him face first onto the ground four times.

"Niou Riki!" screamed Ryu during that move.

Akuma speedily scrambled back up to his feet to see Ryu coming at him with a Jinchuu Watari, Ryu unleashed a flurry of kicks in midair and then jumped away from Akuma who then blasted Ryu from behind with his Shakunsetsu Hadoken. As Akuma lunged at Ryu, he went for an attack while Ryu was still on the ground, but Ryu rolled out of the way and knocked Akuma skyward with a spiraling uppercut move.

"Oni Yanma!" yelled Ryu.

Akuma recovered while still airborne and then stuck his palm outward and a powerful purple energy sphere flung downwards at Ryu at a diagonal angle.

"TENMA GOZANKUU!" screamed Akuma.

Ryu retaliated by unleashing a slow traveling green energy sphere of his own.

"YAGYOU DAMA!" hollered Ryu.

The two powerful orbs of pure chi nullified one another as Akuma and Ryu stared at each other straight in the eyes. Blood and sweat soaked the two fighter's bodies. The two of them knew that one of them was going to die soon.

"How about we finish this right here?" suggested Akuma

"That's fine by me!" retorted Ryu.

Ryu put his palms together again and began to gather energy, the lightning strikes were a lot more frequent as blue bolts started to emit from Ryu's palms. A bluish-green orb appeared and began to increase in size as well as power. Akuma saw this coming and merely laughed.

"Hmm, I hope for your sake that you piddling attack is enough to do me in, this ends now!" yelled Akuma

Purple flames burst forth from the dark warrior's body, rising one leg up he began to dash forward at Ryu ready to drag his soul to hell.

"SHUNGOKUSATSU!" yelled Akuma as he sped towards Ryu.

"Master Gouken, and Master Oro, this one is for you," said Ryu in his mind as he put his palms out and unleashed the now massive orb of energy

"SHIN YAGYOU DAMA HADOKEN!" screamed Ryu.

Akuma continued to hurtle forward, but found himself immediately enveloped in the bluish-green sphere. A blood-curdling scream exploded from Akuma's throat as his body disintegrated into nothingness. As the Shin Yagyou Dama Hadoken faded away, a bloodied and battered Ryu dropped to one knee and began gasping for air.

"It's over, Akuma is no more, I have avenged you Master Gouken," gasped Ryu.

As Ryu ended his reverie, he grimaced, and Oro knew exactly was his student was thinking about.

"I know you don't like the fact that you killed another, but you knew it was the only way to defeat Akuma, besides his soul is now free from the Murderous Intent thanks to you, try not to let it worry you, keep your mind focused on the upcoming tournament," said Oro.

"Yes, I eagerly await that day to show off my new skills but yet I feel a eerie chill as well, I have a feeling that something bad might happen, so don't die yet sensei, for if something should happen to me, you'll have to find another student," said Ryu.

"I know, but let us meditate and pray that nothing bad does happen," suggested Oro.

"Sure thing," piped Ryu as he sat down on the ground cross-legged with his master and put himself into deep meditation.

Back at the Illuminati headquarters, the malicious Zephyr was looking out the window of his office at the members of the organization milling about doing their jobs, they did not slack for they knew that Zephyr did not tolerate laziness whatsoever, just then a feminine sounding voice arose from behind him uttering the words "Master Zephyr, I have the full list of the participants of the tournament ready if you want to see it."

Zephyr whirled around to see an olive skinned dark haired woman dressed all in white walk over to him, he responded with "Show it to me Luz,"

"Here you go master," said Luz as she placed the list on his desk. Zephyr then began to read the names out loud as Luz left the office.

"Alex"

"Amy"

"Brock Irvine"

"Chela Castillo"

"Datta"

"Frederick Lowe"

"Godo Kanzuki"

"Hans Van Bratten"

"Ibuki"

"Isabella DiMarino"

"Kiyomi"

"Makoto"

"Marcos Ortega"

"Mel Masters"

"Mitsukake Kagatoshi"

"Oblique"

"Pietro Omakovski"

"Q"

"Quock Xie"

"Ryu"

"Sano Tezuka"

"Scott Kurt Wagner"

"Sean Matsuda"

"Skye Hawk"

"Tomoko Nakamura"

"Unoka Muir"

"Vicki Small"

"Wilfred Black"

"Xavier Jackson

"Yang Lee"

"Yin Lee"

"Yun Lee"

"Hmm so it seems everyone I took extra incentive to make sure they showed up did, and I got some pleasant surprises on here as well, oh how I'm going to love seeing these pathetic so-called warriors broken at my feet begging for me to end their pitiful existence, and I will gladly comply," cackled Zephyr.

The cackling resonated throughout the entire Illuminati base, the members shivered in fear of the ominous tone of Zephyr's voice, in the dungeon, a half-red, half-blue being mumbled these words.

"May one of you stop my father's madness."

Author's Note: And that is the stories for all the characters, for the next few chapters were going to develop the overall a bit more and some characters will get to run across others before the tournament starts, but don't worry, all the fighting will be starting shortly, I'm just rethinking the tournament bracket right now. Anyways please read and review.


	13. Teach Me to Control Fire

**Chapter 12: Teach Me to Control Fire**

San Francisco, California 11:00 AM

The Masters' household was getting quite a few visitors. Sean had just arrived from Rio de Janeiro last night and later on today Chun-Li was arriving with her adopted daughter Kiyomi in tow. The visitors had decided that they would stay with the Masters family while training for the upcoming tournament. Ken Masters was going to aid them and his son Mel in their conditioning.

"Dad, can you tell me how you met Chun-Li?" asked Mel as he lightly stroked his spiky blonde hair.

"Yeah, of course, it was more than twenty years ago back when Bison had kidnapped Ryu and brainwashed him. It was her that informed me of Ryu's abduction. After rescuing him from Bison's grasp, all three of us soon became friends. After Charlie's death, Ryu, Guile, and myself helped console her. We became close but since I had already met your mother, nothing happened between us, we've stayed in touch but I haven't seen her in almost a decade. It's going to be good to see her again," answered Ken.

"Wow, that's quite a story master," said Sean as he wolfed down a plate of chorizo and eggs that he had cooked.

"Yeah, to think that she might've been your wife, it's just mind boggling," piped Mel.

"But if that had happened, you wouldn't be here now," announced Eliza who delicately sipped on a cup of decaffeinated coffee.

"Still, I'm surprised you didn't go all the way with her at least once," mumbled Sean in between chews.

Ken laughed and then responded with, "That surprises me as well but then Eliza would've probably never forgiven me if I did."

"Do you know anything about her daughter?" inquired Mel.

"Kiyomi, well she was only a child when I last saw her, she's the same age as you, and much like you at that young age, she wanted to become a fighter, Chun-Li spent a lot of time training her, I think you'll find her to be a good match for you, she's been training with her mother about as long as you have been training with me," replied Ken.

"Interesting, indeed I would like to see how I would fare against her," chimed Mel.

"You'll do fine, as long as you keep your hormones in check," joked Sean.

Mel gave Sean a menacing gaze as if he was trying to say "shut up" and Sean just laughed as he saw the look on Mel's face. Just then, the doorbell rang, Ken scrambled out of his seat and bolted for the door, Mel, Sean, and Eliza soon followed. As Ken opened the door, he saw a middle-aged Chinese woman standing in the doorway. She was a voluptuous woman and looked remarkably stunning for her age, her hair was done in two buns and she was clad in a teal cardigan and pants. Another Chinese woman stood at her side. This one was younger and let her coal black tresses cascade down her back; she was wearing a forest green outfit similar to the older woman's. It was Chun-Li and her adopted daughter Kiyomi.

"Hey Chun-Li, long time no see!" exclaimed Ken as he embraced the older female.

"Indeed, we have a lot of catching up to do," replied Chun-Li.

Ken's eyes shifted over to the younger of the females an he said, "You must be Kiyomi, you've really grown up, I'm sure you have plenty of guys chasing you."

"Oh no, since my mom used to be a cop, they're afraid she might arrest them," said Kiyomi.

"Sean, I see you've matured into a skilled warrior, a lot of people are talking about your fights, and Mel, my you've grown into a handsome young man and your dad sure talks a lot about your prowess as a fighter as well," said Chun-Li.

Mel blushed and responded with, "Thank you, I've been working really hard to make him and Mom proud of me."

"Please, make yourselves at home while you're here, I'll show where your rooms are," stated Eliza.

"Thanks, we'd appreciate that," chimed Chun-Li as she hugged Eliza and followed her upstairs.

"Once you're done settling in, we'll begin training for the tournament, ok," announced Ken.

"Yes, we should not waste too much time, this tournament is serious business," added Kiyomi.

"Kiyomi, if you'd like, I'll show you around town tonight since this is your first time in San Francisco," offered Mel.

"Are you asking me on a date already?" asked Kiyomi.

"No, I'm just offering to show you around so that way you know your way around this city," replied Mel.

"Ok then, I accept your kind offer," remarked Kiyomi as she ascended up the stairs to her room.

"I'll wait for you guys outside," Ken told Mel and Sean as he headed out to the backyard.

"You like Kiyomi don't you?" asked Sean.

"We just met, it's too early to tell," answered Mel.

"Yeah right, you know you want her," teased Sean.

"Shut up!" yelled Mel.

"Mel's gonna get some booty! Mel's gonna get some booty!" sang Sean.

"That's enough Sean!" shouted Mel.

"Ok, I'm just joking with you, gosh," grumbled Sean.

About five minutes later, Kiyomi came downstairs dressed in a black tank top and shorts and asked, "You guys ready to train?"

"Yeah, my dad's waiting for us outside, let's go," answered Mel.

Mel led Kiyomi and Sean outside. That night, Marcos Ortega was spending some time in San Francisco with Raul and Crystal, he had just won another boxing match earlier and was now walking down the boardwalk with his arm around Crystal, Raul followed closely behind.

"Damn Marcos, you totally decimated your opponent, your skills have gotten better since training for this tournament," cheered Raul.

"They're still not refined enough, I feel like I could make my moves more effective, but aside from that I do agree that I have gotten stronger," retorted Marcos.

"Don't worry babe, you'll do just fine and you'll save your mother no problem, I have faith in you my powerful bull," cooed Crystal.

"Gracias mi amor," responded Marcos who then gave his girlfriend a light kiss.

"Ay, don't get all mushy right now please," grumbled Raul.

"Exactly, you powerful bull," said a gruff voice in a teasing tone.

"What the, who's there?" asked Marcos.

Immediately answering Marcos' question, a bunch of dirty looking thugs emerged all carrying baseball bats. The thugs snickered as they circled Marcos, Raul, and Crystal. Marcos and Raul went into a boxing stance while keeping their eyes focused on the hooligans in front of them. The leader of the gang stood a little ways in front of the crowd, he was a light skinned muscular guy, dressed in a black du rag, football jersey, and jeans. He tapped the bat with his hands in a manner meant to try and intimidate Marcos and company.

"Pussies, you guys too afraid to fight with your fists?" taunted Marcos.

"What did you say bitch?" asked the lead thug who called himself Razor.

"You heard me, or do I have to spell it on a chalkboard for you," retorted Marcos.

"That's it, men drop your weapons, and we're going to prove to Mr. Macho here that we aint no pushovers!" ordered Razor to his cronies.

"Back me up amigo," said Marcos to Raul.

"Right behind you hombre," replied Raul.

Without hesitation, Marcos and Raul stuck out a fist at the first thugs that charged them. The torrent of ruffians came full force at the trio, Marcos and Raul were holding their own remarkably while at the same time protecting Crystal from harm. Whenever a hooligan rushed the two Mexican men, he was usually greeted with a fist to the face.

"ARGH, you're in for it now ass wipes!" hollered one of the thugs.

The thug went for a sweep kick, but Marcos leapt over the sweep and countered with a move of his own.

"Drill Punch!" hollered Marcos

Spinning like a drill, Marcos nailed the ruffian hard and sent him sailing, another thug tried to sneak up from behind Marcos, but the young protégé of Dudley was no idiot. Marcos ducked under his attack and retaliated with a hard uppercut, knocking two teeth out of the thug's mouth.

"Ah, that motherfucker knocked my teeth out!" screamed the thug holding his mouth in pain.

"Just be happy I didn't knock you out," scoffed Marcos

Meanwhile, Mel Masters was busy walking with Kiyomi showing her the sights of San Francisco; the two were socializing with each other quite well as the two started down the boardwalk.

"I must say Mel, you live in quite a fascinating place!" exclaimed Kiyomi.

"Yeah, if we have time in between training, I'll take you to some of these places I've showed you," said Mel,

"Thanks, you're a sweet guy," piped Kiyomi.

"No problem, you're nice too," replied Mel.

As they walked down the boardwalk they came across Marcos, Raul, and Crystal all being attacked by the group of thugs and gazed in disbelief at the melee going on in front of them.

"Shit, these guys are like cockroaches," grumbled Raul.

"Tell me about it, they just won't stay squished," groaned Marcos.

"I've had enough of you messing up my boys, time to knock your block off dickhead!" yelled Razor as he picked up his baseball bat and swung hard at Marcos who barely managed to avoid the dangerous blow.

"Damn, you're a sore loser," remarked Marcos.

"Oh shut the fuck up!" bellowed Razor as he hammered Raul hard in the back with the bat.

"AGH! You bastard!" moaned Raul weakly as he dropped to his knees.

An enraged Razor then began swinging furiously at Marcos while the rest of his thugs all ganged up on Raul, Crystal just watched in horror.

"Damn it, I need to help Raul but I can't get close to this guy when he's swinging like a maniac," thought Marcos.

From out of nowhere a voice screamed "HADOKEN!" and the blue energy ball careened towards Razor hitting him in the back, he dropped his bat and screamed out in pain.

Marcos shot a glance to where the attack came from and saw Mel and Kiyomi rushing towards him.

"Are you okay man?" asked Mel.

"I'm fine, but we're still not finished with them yet," answered Marcos.

"Well then, let's finish taking out the trash!" announced Kiyomi.

"YEAH!" yelled Mel and Marcos in unison.

"Oh so you punk kids want to butt in? I'll make you regret your decision, get them boys!" roared Razor furiously.

The other ruffians ceased their assault on Raul, who lay on the ground letting out low painful groans, and all charged at Marcos, Mel, and Kiyomi.

"Pitiable," grumbled Kiyomi as she delivered a Hyakuretsu Kyaku to a number of the thugs sending them tumbling backwards.

"Hey, that's an awesome move!" yelled Marcos who then began moving around in snake like movements.

"What the hell is this fool doing?" wondered one of the puzzled thugs.

"Who the fuck cares, just deck the bastard!" yelled Razor.

The thug stuck his attack out only to be whacked by Marcos' Culebra Counter.

"You can't out brawl a boxer homeboy," taunted Marcos.

"Look out!" yelled Mel as he kicked away a hooligan that was trying to attack Marcos from behind.

"Gracias amigo," said Marcos.

"You can thank me after we finish taking care of these losers," remarked Mel.

One by one the thugs fell like dominoes, unable to handle the power the three young fighters generated.

"That's it, I'll take you out myself!" yelled Razor as he jumped

"Yeah, sure, Jet Upper!" yelled Marcos who struck Razor with a two hit uppercut move square in the jaw, Razor hit the ground hard, but slowly staggered back up to his feet.

"Hey, that's pretty good man, but let me show you how I do it," spoke Mel.

Without hesitance, Mel and Razor dashed at each other, Razor went for a hard punch to the sternum, but Mel dodged the blow and prepared for his counter attack. Mel's fist went ablaze as he flew upwards, flaming fist first and screamed a word familiar to many martial arts aficionados.

"Shoryuken!" hollered Mel.

Razor cried out in pain as the flames engulfed him, he flew about ten feet into the air and then hit the ground with a loud thud, the flames extinguished as soon as Razor hit the ground.

"Whoa, where did you learn that?" asked Marcos.

"From my father," answered Mel.

"Oh, I know who you are now, you're Mel Masters, and is this lady with you your girlfriend?" inquired Marcos.

Kiyomi blushed and snapped back saying, "No, we just met today, so we're just friends. My name is Kiyomi."

"I'm Marcos Ortega, it's an honor to meet the both of you," introduced Marcos.

"Enough with the introductions Marcos, what about Raul?" asked a concerned Crystal.

"Oh, I'm fine, just a little sore, ah mi cuerpo," grumbled Raul.

"Man, you got fucked up bad, you need some medical attention," said Marcos with concern in his voice.

Marcos pulled his cell phone out of his blue jeans pocket and called 911. After the paramedics picked up Raul and took him to the hospital, Marcos grimaced.

"Damn it, there goes my sparring partner," groaned Marcos.

"Huh, sparring partner?" asked Mel.

"It's for the Street Fighter tournament, I'm fighting to save my mother, who that asshole Zephyr kidnapped," answered Marcos.

"That's terrible Marcos, I hope that we can rescue her," gasped Kiyomi.

"Yeah, if you need someone to train with, you're welcome to train with me," offered Mel.

"I'd be honored to have the son of Ken Masters train me, and please teach to control fire like you did," said Marcos.

"Sure thing, how about you come over tomorrow around noon and we'll start then?" suggested Mel.

"It's a deal man," affirmed Marcos,

"Now we better get home and tell Dudley and your family about this whole incident," said Crystal.

"Indeed, we should, well hasta mañana mi amigos nuevos," called Marcos.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow," called out Mel and Kiyomi in unison.

As Marcos and Crystal drove off in Marcos' low rider, Kiyomi looked at Mel and asked him "Are you sure you want to teach him your skills?"

"Why not, I don't care who wins the tournament, as long as they succeed in stopping Zephyr, that's all that matters," answered Mel.

"You're right, well we should get back to your house now, it's getting late," suggested Kiyomi.

Mel nodded and the two headed off towards the Masters mansion.

Author's Note: Well, it should be quite obvious that there is a little spark between Mel and Kiyomi at the moment, but eventually their relationship will bloom into love as the story progresses, next chapter we'll see what some of the others are up to, but honestly, I'm considering either making Mel or Marcos the main character, but it's too early for me to decide at the moment who I want to end up fighting Zephyr, but I do have a bracket planned out already. Anyways, please read and review.


	14. Dealing with the Past

**Chapter 13: Dealing with the Past**

Tokyo, Japan, 3:35 PM

At the domicile of the legendary sumo wrestler Edmond Honda, some intense battle cries could be heard, but they weren't coming from the sumo himself, these cries came out more feminine sounding. Tomoko Nakamura, the former biker queen was undergoing some forceful training to hone her skills for Zephyr's tournament.

"That's keep going Tomoko, keep that intensity coming!" barked E. Honda.

The young, sexy Japanese girl kept her attacks flying at her oncoming opponents, all of which were Honda's sumo students. The obese warriors charged at Tomoko with fiery fury, however, Tomoko was able to effectively evade all their attacks and strike with her own with very little hassle.

"Banzai!" yelled one sumo diving down at Tomoko belly first.

"You aren't squashing me today," taunted Tomoko who back flipped away from the portly man's attack and retaliated with a flying boot to the gut and then grabbing him by his loincloth flipped the sumo over her shoulder and slammed him on the sturdy hardwood floor.

"KEEEEYYYYAAAAAHHHH!" screamed another sumo running at her full force ready to tackle the biker girl.

"Oh no you don't, Dust Choker!" screamed Tomoko.

Kicking the ground, a dust cloud arose from Tomoko's boot and the sumo wrestler stopped cold in his tracks and began gagging and coughing from the dust. Tomoko took the opportunity to launch her own combo hitting him with a quick barrage of punches, and then knocking the foe back with a swift roundhouse to the face.

"Excellent Tomoko, now I shall test you myself! Get ready!" called E. Honda.

E. Honda then launched himself into the fray with his Super Zutsuki. Tomoko whirled around to see her mentor flying at her head first, Tomoko jumped up and Honda sailed right past her. Tomoko leapt into the air and stuck her foot out for a jump kick, E. Honda went for a hard chop, and the two attacks connected on their mark as both warriors reeled back from the force of one another's assault. The two then stormed at one another and began a back and forth battle, Tomoko looked as if she were fatigued, after all she had been warding off numerous other opponents before E. Honda entered the skirmish, but still the girl refused to relent, she was out to make her master and her family proud.

"You're doing well Tomoko, but can you overcome me?" asked E. Honda.

"Yeah I can!" answered Tomoko back confidently.

Sticking her palms out so fast that they were nothing but a blur, Tomoko had perfectly emulated E. Honda's Hundred Hand Slap. Honda felt six hard palm strikes connect with his rotund body, he staggered to regain his composure and then countered by doing the move himself, snuffing Tomoko's attack completely. Now on all fours Tomoko struggled to get to her feet, but eventually was able to rise again.

"Here we go! Oni Muso!" bellowed Tomoko.

Flying at her master head first Tomoko hit with two powerful head butts in conjunction with the Hundred Hand Slap as Honda hit the ground hard. He laughed as he rose to his feet.

"That is enough Tomoko, you've done well, rest for a while now, a weary warrior is a sloppy one," ordered E. Honda.

"Yes Edmond-san," replied Tomoko.

For Tomoko, her way of relaxation was going for a ride on her motorcycle, mounting her bike she sped off towards downtown Tokyo, as she rode down the road, all the tension in her body dissipated, but another feeling in the pit of her stomach made itself present.

"I'm hungry, all that training sure amps your metabolism, I wonder what's good to eat," thought Tomoko.

Parking her bike in front of a nearby noodle shop, Tomoko entered the building and to her dismay saw someone that right now she didn't need to see, a member of her former gang. The man had long and shaggy black hair and was clad in a brown leather vest with and blue jeans, upon sight of Tomoko, he jeered at Tomoko and walked over to her.

"Isn't this a pleasant surprise, our old leader who doesn't like our lifestyle anymore," sneered the man.

"Noriyuki, it's not that I don't like being a biker, but I just need to do more with my life, don't you understand?" inquired Tomoko.

"The only thing I understand is that you went soft on us ever since that fat fuck came to your aid two years ago!" snarled Noriyuki.

"Edmond has done more for me than the gang has, he taught me to fight for something more than just kicks, and right now I'm fighting for a meaningful cause," retorted Tomoko.

"Oh really, I'd like to hear this cause you're fighting for," scoffed Noriyuki.

"She's fighting for our future in the upcoming Street Fighter tournament," arose another voice, immediately a young man with blonde streaked black hair, and wearing all black appeared by Tomoko's side, it was none other than Godo Kanzuki.

"Hey Godo, long time no see," said Tomoko.

"Fighting for our future?" asked a puzzled Noriyuki.

"I don't know if you're deaf or dumb, but you know what will happen if the winner of the tournament right," remarked Godo.

"Yeah, it's the end of us all, that Zephyr guy is probably shitting us though," responded Noriyuki.

"No he's not, he's dead serious, so by looking down on Tomoko for her cause, you're basically cheering for Zephyr!" yelled Godo.

"I'm sorry Tomoko, I understand what you and Godo are going through, this is indeed a heavy burden, and I envy you because of your strength," muttered Noriyuki.

"My strength?" asked Tomoko.

"Yeah, you were strong enough to walk away from the gang when you knew you weren't going anywhere by living the way you were, and now you're taking on this responsibility. If I was in your shoes, I'd probably crack under all this pressure," said Noriyuki sadly.

"Don't worry tomodachi, I'll make sure I do well at this tournament, to make you and the other gang members proud of me, for something good this time," affirmed Tomoko.

"Good luck you two, I'll be rooting for you," said Noriyuki.

"Don't just cheer for us, cheer for everyone that's fighting, they've taken on a heavy responsibility as well." piped Godo.

"But some of them are unaware of how heavy it is," added Tomoko.

As Tomoko and Godo left the noodle shop, Noriyuki let out a deep sigh, he then muttered these words to himself.

"Good luck, hopefully the other members of the gang will be able to forgive you as well Tomoko."

Outside, Tomoko looked over at Godo as she mounted her bike yet again preparing to head back to E. Honda's abode.

"I didn't know you were entering the tournament Godo, but that's understandable, you were one of the best martial artists at our school," commented Tomoko.

"Yeah, I'm not entering alone though, Mr. Kagatoshi is fighting too, mainly just to watch over me," replied Godo.

"HEHE, I figured, after all him and your mother are pretty close friends right," said Tomoko.

"True, but anyways, I need to go now, I'm running late for a date with Yumi," said Godo.

"Ok, well then, if I don't see you soon, I'll see you at the tournament," stated Tomoko.

"Take care," responded Godo.

Tomoko saluted Godo and sped away on her bike feeling more at ease now that she was able to make amends with Noriyuki. As she arrived back at E. Honda's house, Honda came out to greet her.

"Glad you're back Tomoko, but you look like you seem more relieved that normal," said E. Honda.

"Yeah, you could say that, let's just say I have more inspiration to fight now," replied Tomoko.

"Great, but anyways, eat quickly, that way we can resume our training quickly," ordered E. Honda.

"Yes Edmond-san," affirmed Tomoko as she speedily ran into the house.

New York City, New York, 2:10 AM

It was a remarkably quiet night in the city, but yet Xavier Jackson couldn't sleep. The tall wrestler's mind was at unrest. He sat in the living room in his flannel pajamas fooling around with a barbell and thinking about the things that Alex had told him about the Illuminati when they last sparred against one another.

"Damn it, what exactly are the true motives of this damn organization. Gill doesn't seem like he's all that bad, but if he's trying to lead us to salvation, then why would his father interfere. What is it exactly that Zephyr hopes to accomplish by eradicating the human race?" mused Xavier.

As Xavier continued to ponder over the Illuminati, his wife Essence sleepily walked into the living room.

"Xavier, what are doing up so late?" mumbled Essence groggily.

"I'm just having problems sleeping tonight, I'm too uneasy," answered Xavier as he turned towards his slender wife.

"Are you still sore about Zephyr booting you out of the CWA?" asked Essence.

"That's not really my main concern at this moment. Right now, I'm more worried about the things Alex told us about the Illuminati," replied Xavier as he stroked his thick black beard.

"His words were indeed troubling, but you can't allow the words to give you cold feet," advised Essence.

"I'm not going to get cold feet Essence, I just want to know what's possessed Zephyr to take over the Illuminati and devote his time to our extinction," grumbled Xavier.

"I don't think anyone knows his ulterior motives, I'm sure everyone else who is fighting is feeling just as perturbed as you are," assured Essence.

"Yeah, I know," said Xavier morosely.

Xavier rose to his feet and along with Essence walked into Juwan's bedroom where the young lad lay is his bed curled up like a cat and snoring quite loudly for a little kid. It was a calming sight for Xavier and Essence.

"He looks so peaceful like that, doesn't he?" asked Essence.

"Yes, and I can only pray that he'll be able to live peacefully for a long time, we can't fail. I'm going to fight not just for my job, but for my son's future as well," answered Xavier.

"That's good, the more you have to fight for, the stronger your fighting spirit becomes," said Essence.

"Hopefully, the other fighter's have that same spirit," replied Xavier.

Xavier and Essence walked back to their bedroom, but before Xavier could fall asleep he heard his phone ring.

"Who would call us at this time of night?" mumbled Essence.

"Beats me," answered Xavier.

Xavier picked up the phone and immediately answered with a "Hello."

"Hey Xavier, it's Alex, I just back into town tonight," replied Alex.

"Ah, so how was your little camping trip?" inquired Xavier.

"It went well, it gave me ample time to clear my mind and to focus on what matters at the moment, I suppose you've been wondering when I would get back," responded Alex.

"Well, yeah, my other sparring partners don't give me the adrenaline rush you do buddy," said Xavier.

"Not even your wife?" asked Alex jokingly.

"HAHAHA, yeah but seriously, I'm looking forward to seeing you at the gym tomorrow, I want to see for myself if you've learned anything new during your little trip," commented Xavier.

"Same here man, well I'm feeling sleepy, so I'll see you at the usual time," said Alex.

"Yeah, see you then," replied Xavier.

Xavier hung up the phone, curled up next to Essence, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Oakland, California, 8:20 AM

At the Ortega household, Marcos was the only one up and running. He had just finished packing his duffel bag with all his gear and was getting ready to go to San Francisco to train at the Masters' mansion. As Marcos headed out the door, Dudley ran up to him.

"Marcos, hold up, I want to give you something," answered Dudley.

"Ok, what is it?" asked Marcos.

Dudley handed Marcos a pair of blue boxing gloves, Marcos gazed longingly at the gloves and then looked up at Dudley.

"These are your special gloves Dudley, you're giving these to me?" inquired Marcos.

"Yes my student, I wore these gloves in every fight I was in, these gloves symbolize my struggle to help my family when they were in financial trouble, hopefully these gloves will bring you good fortune like they did with me, and not just financially, but spiritually as well," answered Dudley.

"Gracias, you're a good man Dudley, I shall cherish these gloves and make good use of them too," commented Marcos.

"Make sure you do, prove your greatness," said Dudley.

"I won't let you down," called Marcos as he hopped into his low rider and departed for San Francisco.

Author's Note: Here's another chapter, the tournament will start in chapter 21 in case anyone is wondering. Until then, we'll delve into the other characters some more and see what they're all up to. Anyways, please read and review.


	15. Deep Meetings

**Chapter 14: Deep Meetings**

Nagoya, Japan, 7:45 PM

Out in the forests near his home, Sano Tezuka meditated along with his old schoolmate, Toshio Tanaka. The two young men breathed deeply as if they were attempting to inhale the serene surrounding itself.

"As a ninja, I must be as tranquil as this forest, but carry a roaring fire within the deepest depths of my soul, that is the true path to victory," mumbled Sano in an entranced sounding voice.

"And yet also know how much fire you must release, because that same flame you have within your heart can also destroy you if you use it for wrongful purposes," replied Toshio.

Sano shifted his eyes over to his husky friend and merely nodded in approval of what Toshio said. The slim fighter then closed his eyes yet again and put himself in a near subconscious state.

"The malicious energy that this Zephyr exudes from his body and soul, I can actually feel it calling to me, its power is frightening, and it's painful too," commented Sano.

"Then this energy is something you must quell if it causes pain to those that can feel it," said Toshio.

"Yes, now that my mind is currently empowered from my deep thought, I must now empower my body," responded Sano.

Springing up to his feet, Sano immediately started a kata; Toshio merely gazed at the quickness and smooth flow of his friend's kicks, punches, blocks, and chops.

"HAAAA! HEEEYAAAAH! SHAAAAAAAH! KAAAAAAAH!" cried out Sano as he stuck his attack out to strike his imaginary opponent.

"Yeah, that's the good stuff man, keep it up!" cheered Toshio in an attempt to help push his friend past his limits. And the cheers seemed to work, Sano kept the speed and flow of his kata consistent, never slowing, that was until Guy came into the forest and interrupted him.

"Come on in Sano, you've been out here all day training, you need your rest to avoid getting downed in a real fight so easily," ordered Guy.

"Sure thing Guy, let me just see Toshio home and I'll be there," responded Sano.

"If that is what you want to do, I will not stop you," said Guy.

Sano and Toshio gathered up their belongings and exited the forest, heading off towards the urban area of Nagoya where Toshio resided.

"Sano, I don't see why you have to live on the outskirts of the city, wouldn't be easier to get the things you need if you lived closer to the town?" asked Toshio.

"While the day to day tasks would be substantially less time consuming, a noisy terrain is not suitable living quarters for those training in the art of Bushin," answered Sano.

"I guess you're right, ninjas do work best in silence after all," said Toshio.

"That is correct my friend," replied Sano.

Upon reaching Toshio's house, Sano made sure his friend got in all right and after bidding him good night, the Bushin prodigy sauntered off back home, as he walked down the streets of Nagoya, he heard a feminine voice yelling towards him.

"Hey, you in the purple Bushin garb, come over here!" called the voice.

Sano headed towards who was calling him, who he saw was a slender blue-haired olive skinned woman. She was clothed in a lavender dress, blue tights, lavender high-heeled shoes, and a bright blue scarf. Sano looked at the woman confusedly.

"I suppose you're wondering why I'm calling you to me," said the woman.

"Yeah, and how do you know my fighting style is Bushin, you don't look like you're from Japan anyways," remarked Sano.

"The soul inside me has had an encounter with a Bushin warrior such as yourself," stated the woman.

"Soul inside you, are you possessed or something because your words are indeed puzzling?" inquired Sano.

"Yes, I am Isabella DiMarino, I am from Genoa, Italy and I have been possessed by the spirit of Italy's most famous fortune teller, Rose," answered Isabella.

"Rose, I remember Guy making mention of a fortune teller by that name, that's the soul that inhabits your body?" asked Sano in an astonished tone.

"Correct, and from what I can see, you are the heir to the Bushin style, even though you just met Guy, so how could you know Bushin?" questioned Isabella.

"I was trained by his friends Maki and Cody, they are my adopted parents, I trained in Bushin to help me quell evil, like the Yakuza member who murdered my birth parents, when I find him, he will pay for his wrongdoing," informed Sano.

"Oh, and I suppose your using your training in hopes to defeat Zephyr," said Isabella.

"Yeah I am, I cannot allow him to spread his hurtful chi over this world," stated Sano.

"I am on a mission similar to yours, I believe that you and I should work together and grow strong together, our goals are the same, so we should work together to achieve that goal," suggested Isabella.

"I agree with you wholeheartedly," piped Sano.

"Good, now please take me to go see Guy, I'm sure Rose would like to speak with him," ordered Isabella.

"Wait, how is that possible," inquired an inquisitive Sano.

"Rose can speak through me when she needs to, now let's go," answered Isabella.

Sano nodded and led Isabella to his house without hesitance.

Tucson, Arizona, 5:50 AM

On the ruins of the Thunderfoot tribal land, Skye Hawk stood outside on a cliff that overlooked the city, the majestic beauty of viewing her town from atop the cliff at sunrise put Skye's mind at ease as she stared up at the sky in deep thought.

"The Thunderfoot tribe has sure gone through some hard times these past years, first an evil man drives our tribe off our land many years ago, my father fought bravely to reclaim this land as was so diligent in the rebuilding of it. My turn to carry on my family's heroic legacy has come, I must work hard to ensure that I don't crack under the tremendous pressure that has been placed across me," thought Skye.

Skye then felt a tap on her shoulder, she whirled around expecting the person to be Julius or her father, and instead she saw two strangers before her, one male and one female. Both had blonde hair, the male was clad in military fatigues, the female was clad in a black dress, both stared stone faced at Skye as she nervously played with the collar of her denim blue blouse.

"Uh, who are you guys?" asked Skye.

"Secret Service Agent Vicki Small," replied Vicki.

"And U.S. Air Force soldier Scott Wagner, we were called here to investigate the ruination of the Thunderfoot tribal land. We heard that Zephyr was behind it," added Wagner.

"Whoa, information sure travels fast in this country," gasped Skye.

"The two of us are preparing to interface in Zephyr's Street Fighter tournament, records show that you are fighting as well, so that's why we came to talk to you, we'd also like to talk to your father too that way if he knows anything about Zephyr, he can tell us," commented Vicki.

"Well, I don't really know anything about Zephyr that you don't already," boomed a gruff voice from behind Wagner.

Wagner turned around to see who said that, and saw quite possibly, the tallest person he had ever seen in his life. The man stood at a towering seven feet, seven inches, he was clothed in a blue vest, jeans, and brown boots. It was the leader of the Thunderfoot tribe, Thunder Hawk. He stared down at Wagner with his arms folded and even though he meant no harm, Wagner took a few steps back from the intimidating man.

"Wow you're a tall man, I assume that you're Thunder Hawk, Skye's father " said Wagner flatly.

"You assume correctly, but I never knew that the Secret Service was investigating the ruination of our land," retorted T. Hawk.

"It's part of an investigation to find out information on Zephyr," piped Vicki.

"I understand, but the things we know, you already know as well, He's as much of an enigma to pretty much all the world as he is to the Secret Service," replied T. Hawk.

"Damn it, so far, we've investigated half the United States, and no one knows any new information about him!" grumbled Wagner.

"My guess is you'll have to wait until the tournament to find the answers you seek," chimed Skye.

"I see, but we will continue to delve deeper into this in case information is hidden somewhere," stated Vicki.

"Well good luck with your cause, I hope you find some answers," said Skye.

"Thank you, and you know what, we'll do what we can to assist in the reconstruction of this land, no one should have to live in shambles, no one," replied Wagner.

"Your generosity would be highly appreciated," boomed T. Hawk.

"Sure thing, but if we don't see you sooner, we shall meet again at the tournament," said Vicki.

Vicki and Wagner waved goodbye to the Hawks as a government chopper landed to the ground to pick them up and then flew off into the distance.

"Father, since you're up now, shall we get an early start today in my preparation?" asked Skye.

"That's a good idea my daughter, you are very mature to realize the seriousness of the situation we are in," answered T. Hawk.

"Well I have a great father, one who fought for his whole tribe, I'm going to make you proud by doing the same," chimed Skye.

A warm smile crossed T. Hawk's face as he heard his daughter tell him he was a great man and the two began to warm up for Skye's training regimen.

San Francisco, California, 2:00 PM

At the Masters Manor, Mel, Kiyomi, Marcos, and Sean were all taking a break from their rigorous training, sweat ran down all four of their bodies making them glisten as they sat out in the sun.

"I must say Marcos, you're a natural fighter, even though boxing limits you to punching, I'm amazed at your resilience and endurance, you'll be harnessing fire in no time!" exclaimed Mel as he wiped his forehead with a towel.

Marcos took a swig from his water bottle and said, "Well, I've been doing this since I was a kid, and my father always told me to never give in until you cannot stand on your own two feet anymore."

"That's a good motto to live by when it comes to fighting," commented Sean.

"I'd say that applies to more than just fighting, it applies to just about everything that you strive for in life," replied Marcos.

"You're still a young man, but very wise," said Kiyomi.

"Gracias my friend," responded Marcos.

"Don't forget me, I'm the one that's using my time to teach you this," called Mel.

"I'm not going to, I owe you big time for this amigo, you're a great teacher," piped Marcos.

"Don't mention it, I'm happy to help a fellow warrior become better," said Mel.

"That's very noble Mel," commented Kiyomi.

"Aw, Kiyomi thinks Mel is noble, how sweet," teased Sean. Kiyomi then threw her water bottle at Sean, who speedily moved his head out of the way to avoid getting hit. Sean then laughed.

For a good ten minutes, the four conversed amongst one another about fighting and how it applied to their lives. The conversation was going quite strongly until Ken walked outside once again and clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.

"Ok guys, break is over, time to get back to training," ordered Ken.

"All right," said Mel, Marcos, Kiyomi, and Sean in unison.

The four combatants sprang to their feet and resumed whatever they were doing before taking their break.

Author's Note: Not really much to say this time, except that next chapter will have a fight in it, yeah that's right, a fight before the actual tournament, who's fighting, I'm not saying. But please read and review.


	16. An Old Score Finally Settled

**Chapter 15: An Old Score Finally Settled**

Sydney, Australia, 4:00 PM

It was still rather cold in the Australian outback. The snow had ceased to fall, but the chilly weather was still nipping hard at anyone who dared to venture outside. On Australia's famous Bondi Beach, Brock Irvine was hard at work once again as he sparred once more with his mentor, Sagat. A Tiger Shot hurtled towards Brock who jumped straight up to avoid the low traveling projectile.

"Tiger" yelled Sagat.

This time a high traveling one careened toward the surfer, Brock ducked down and fired a low Tiger Shot; the two projectiles hit their marks as master and student staggered back in perfect synchronization.

"Very clever Brock, but don't let up," called out Sagat as he made a dash towards Brock.

Brock got into a defensive position as Sagat's taped up fist darted at Brock's chest, the blonde haired man swatted the Thai warrior's hand away and retaliated with a snap kick to the gut, Sagat blocked and grabbed Brock by his tank top and slammed his pupil onto the sandy ground.

"I'm not through yet, Tiger Uppercut!" screamed Brock as he sprang back up to his feet and decked Sagat with his own trademark uppercut. Sagat flew about ten feet back and landed hard on his back. However, the old Emperor of Muay Thai did not stay down, Brock continued his assault, he was giving his master all that he had.

"Wild Dingo!" hollered Brock.

Brock rushed at Sagat, hitting him with three consecutive Dingo Claws, and then he slammed his master face first onto the sand, jumped on his back, and proceeded to ride him like a surfboard. Brock then back flipped off his master's back and got back into his fighting pose. Sagat slowly started to rise; Brock knew he had to keep his master from getting his momentum back, so he launched another Tiger Shot, which resulted in a big mistake.

"Tiger Genocide!" yelled Sagat.

Sagat's super traveled right through the Tiger Shot as if it were a phantom and as a result, Brock was battered by Sagat's Tiger Crush and two Tiger Uppercuts all at once. Brock hit the ground with a thud and eked out a small groan upon the impact.

"Very good my student, but you must remember don't ever launch anything that leaves you wide open for a counter, that could be the X factor that determines a victory or a defeat," advised Sagat.

"Man, I really gave it a hundred percent there, I feel like I've made some good progress," gasped Brock as he struggled to get back to a standing position.

"You have gotten considerably stronger, but remember to be patient, no victory is certain and a few sloppy mistakes could spell doom for anyone," replied Sagat.

"Yeah, that's something I need to work on, but can you blame me, I'm still thinking heavily about this damn tournament, wondering how much longer I must wait," groaned Brock.

"Keep your mind clear during a fight at all times, having too many thoughts can impair your combat ability drastically," spoke Sagat.

"You know, your master is right about that," added another voice.

Sagat and Brock turned around to see who was speaking; Sagat's eye grew wide with surprise as he gazed upon the man.

"Ryu, is that you?" asked Sagat.

"It's been a while Sagat, you sure look different from when we last saw each other," answered Ryu.

"So do you, I've been wondering where you've been all these years," remarked Sagat.

"I've been training with an old hermit by the name of Oro for the past thirteen years and have integrated his Senjutu style into my Ansatsuken," explained Ryu.

"Interesting, and I guess you can see I've taken on another student, Brock introduce yourself," ordered Sagat.

"I'm Brock Irvine, your old rival's pupil, it's an honor to meet the very first Street Fighter champ," said Brock as he shook Ryu's hand.

"You have a lot of potential in you Brock, I can tell that you've really been taking your lessons seriously, maybe one day you'll actually usurp your master," piped Ryu.

"You think I can really do so?" asked Brock.

"Yes, as long as you don't stray too far from you training eventually you will," answered Ryu.

"So what brings you to Australia?" inquired Sagat.

"Originally I was going to go to San Francisco to see Ken, but after hearing you were down here, I decided to come see you first, after all, we still have a vendetta to put to rest," retorted Ryu.

"Indeed we do, we still have yet to have a fair fight, let us settle the score now," suggested Sagat.

"I was going to say the exact same thing my old rival," replied Ryu.

"Whoa, I'm witness to a fight between two of the greatest martial artists in the world, this I gotta see," thought Brock to himself.

Ryu and Sagat got into combat poses, the two slowly circled around one another, leaving numerous footprints in the cold sand. Their eyes lay focused on each other, as Brock waited in anticipation on who would make the first move.

"Tiger!" bellowed Sagat.

Ryu simply sidestepped the projectile, Sagat let out a smirk and started to inch towards Ryu, as the gap closed between the two, the blows began to fly. Ryu and Sagat both stuck out attacks, but neither one of them made any solid impact. Sagat stuck out a high roundhouse; Ryu cocked his head back and delivered a kick of his own to Sagat's abdomen.

"Tiger Crush!" yelled Sagat.

Sagat's knee hit Ryu twice causing the Japanese man to drop to the ground. Ryu scrambled back to his feet and jumped into the air

"Jinchuu Watari!" hollered Ryu.

Stomping on Sagat's head twice, Sagat tumbled down, and let out a small snicker as he stood back up.

"Ah, so you've learned your master's style quite well I see, I have my work cut out for me," snickered Sagat.

"And you're still very resilient, glad to see that your age hasn't weakened you," retorted Ryu.

"Of course, although I don't fight in tournaments anymore, I still stay in shape because I knew this day would come," said Sagat.

Sagat resumed his attack on Ryu as he hit hard with a crouching fierce punch and then a hard kick to the face. Ryu reeled back and quickly regained his composure; he quickly dashed at Sagat and grabbed his arm.

"Niou Riki!" shouted Ryu.

Ryu slammed Sagat on the ground three times using only one arm, after the attack was finished Sagat rolled back up and rushed at Ryu again.

"Tiger Uppercut!" screamed Sagat.

The five hit uppercut smacked Ryu hard and he landed on the sandy terrain, Sagat jumped at Ryu as he was getting up only to be countered by Ryu's uppercut attack.

"Shoryuken!" screamed Ryu.

Sagat fell about eight feet away from Ryu, but jumped back up again and resumed his assault, this time coming at Ryu with a mighty barrage, surprisingly though, Ryu was dodging every attack Sagat launched. Sagat began to grow angry at hitting nothing but the air and Brock just stared with astonishment as the Japanese combatant made sport of his master.

"Holy shit, my master keeps bringing his strongest attacks to the table, but this fellow doesn't seem the least bit fazed, what inhuman power," thought Brock in amazement.

Brock continued to stare at the fight almost in hypnosis like state, knowing that the brawl between Ryu and Sagat was slowly escalating towards its crescendo.

"Damn it Ryu, I grow bored of fighting the air!" growled Sagat.

"Then stop being so predictable," taunted Ryu.

Sagat started mixing up his attacks more in an effort to finally make one of them connect with Ryu, one of them did, but it was parried and then Ryu rose up into the air and spun around with one leg out.

"Tatsumakisenpukyaku!" hollered Ryu.

Sagat was knocked back far enough to give Ryu some much-needed breathing room. Sagat slowly rose again, he could feel fatigue creeping up on him, and he knew he had to end the match quickly.

"Damn, how did he get so powerful over these past years? I guess all the things I've heard about that weird hermit were true, and he's unlocked some insanely powerful potential within Ryu, I have to do something fast," grumbled Sagat to himself.

"Hadoken!" hollered Ryu.

The blue energy ball sped towards Sagat, the tall Thai man smiled knowing this could be his opportunity to go for the victory, he began to gather energy into his palms, and a bright orange chi blade formed in between his open hands.

"Tiger Cannon!" roared Sagat.

Jutting his long arms forward, Sagat's super projectile plowed through Ryu's Hadoken, and careened right towards Ryu. Acting quickly, Ryu rolled under the Tiger Cannon and found himself practically right in Sagat's face.

"Huh, how the hell did he react that fast?" gasped Sagat.

"Pig's arse, there's no way anyone can be that quick, but then again we are talking about the man who did beat my master so many years ago," thought Brock.

Ryu gathered chi yet again and then dove at Sagat grabbing him by the ankles with both hands, Ryu jumped high into the air.

"WOOAAAHAAAHHHH!" screamed Sagat.

"What the fuck is going on?" asked Brock in amazement.

"Kishin Tsui!" bellowed Ryu.

Ryu and Sagat began to fall fast. Ryu still had a good grip on Sagat, while still in midair Ryu placed Sagat underneath him and upon impact planted his knees right into Sagat's lower back, Sagat cried out in pain as Ryu jumped off of him.

"You win Ryu," gasped Sagat painfully.

Ryu extended his hand to the fallen fighter; Sagat grabbed hold of Ryu's outstretched hand and with his aid rose to his feet.

"You're time spent with that Oro sure made you a formidable opponent, and finally our old score is settled, you clearly are the better fighter," said Sagat.

"Thanks, although you still gave me a good run, Brock should be proud to call you his sensei and I look forward to seeing him at Zephyr's tournament," responded Ryu.

"What, you're entering the tournament too?" asked Brock.

"Yes, I feel that would be the best place to test myself, but for now, I should get on a plane to San Francisco, I'll see you in six weeks," said Ryu.

"Yeah, you take care of yourself too mate," called Brock.

Ryu bowed to Sagat and Brock and walked off towards the Sydney Airport, the two Muay Thai fighters looked on until Ryu was no longer visible to the naked eye. Afterwards, Brock turned over to Sagat who was holding his left arm.

"Brock, let us rest for today, tomorrow we resume our training, now let's go home," suggested Sagat.

"Yes sensei, after what just happened to you, that would be for the best," affirmed Brock.

And with that, master and student vacated the beach and walked towards Brock's abode.

Nairobi, Kenya, 11:00 PM

Outside his house, Unoka Muir was still hard at work training himself for the Street Fighter tournament. Thoughts of his sister Elena laying in a hospital bed due to Zephyr's malicious attack on her continued to fuel him as he pressed onwards with his Capoeira routine.

"I cannot allow fatigue to come and claim me yet, no, not until I earn retribution for me and my sister. I will protect her and all those that I love from harm no matter what!" hollered Unoka.

Unoka continued to remain immersed in his ritual, sharpening all of his skills that is until Aisha walked out and interrupted Unoka.

"Honey, don't you think you should rest now, you have all of tomorrow to train?" asked Aisha.

"Aisha, I know I have a lot of time, but I must make use of it, I still don't feel tired, so until I do I should keep on going right?" replied Unoka.

"You may be right, but I just got a call from the hospital," said Aisha.

"The hospital, did something happen to my sister?" inquired Unoka.

"She'll be coming home tomorrow, but she's still pretty bad off, so I'm suggesting you rest up so that way you won't be too tired to bring her back home," advised Aisha.

"All right, I'll come in now, besides it is rather dark and who knows what kind of weird people are out right now," remarked Unoka.

Unoka and Aisha entered the house, and as they entered Aisha smiled and thought to herself "He may be obsessed with training, but at least I know he'll be a great husband who will shamelessly put himself at risk to protect me, I'm grateful to have him."

"Aisha, I love you with all my heart, although your safety means so much to me, I can only pray that I'll be able to protect you and all my other loved ones from this Zephyr, please pray for me as well," thought Unoka to himself as he crawled into his bed.

Author's Note: Well, how was the fight? I wanted Ryu to finally settle his vendetta with Sagat and so that's why I wrote this chapter. In the chapter after the next one, Ryu and Ken will have their match; after all I still have more characters to go back to. So please leave your reviews and I'm off to plan the next chapter.


	17. Life in the Limelight

**Chapter 16: Life in the Limelight**

Mexico City, Mexico, 10:25 PM

It was yet another warm night in Mexico City, although the sun was already down, the heat that the giant ball of gas in the sky emitted still seemed to linger, Chela Castillo could definitely feel it beating down on her as she reclined in the backyard of her grand home with Dee Jay, resting after a long grueling day of training.

"Dios mio, I'm sore all over, I don't even feel like moving," gasped Chela as she lay almost motionless in a lawn chair.

"You'll get used to it soon, after all, we have to keep up this pace and intensity if you're to have any kind of impact in this tournament, sorry if I sound a little harsh there," replied Dee Jay.

"No, it's all right, because it's the truth, we have no idea how powerful the competitors will be anyways, and besides it's nice to be out from under the limelight for a while," remarked Chela.

"So true, not having the press hound us is sure refreshing, especially for you, I think since you became a big star you've never had a single chance to actually have some peace and quiet," said Dee Jay.

"That's something that bothers me a bit though, I would've thought that there would be paparazzi swarming my house at this moment, and yet they aren't," piped Chela.

"I wouldn't be so sure, those guys are like rats, they hide wherever, waiting for days, even weeks to get a good snapshot of a celebrity because that's how they make their living, by exploiting us who worked hard to get where we got, when I think about that it really chafes my backside," grumbled Dee Jay.

"I couldn't agree with you more, to know that I can't even sit on the toilet without wondering if some loon is peeking into my window with a camera really makes me uneasy," cried Chela.

As the two reclined in the backyard conversing, the sound of rustling in the trees became audible, resulting in Chela and Dee Jay putting a halt to their discussion.

"What the hell was that?" asked Chela.

"Maybe it's just some squirrels or birds, something that lives in a tree," answered Dee Jay.

"I think the squirrels and the birds are sleeping. And besides the frequency of that rustling is just too much for me to bear. I'm going to check this out," replied Chela.

Chela sprang out of her chair and slowly skulked over to the tree where the rustling was taking place. Looking up at it, she couldn't see anything, there were too many leaves and it was too dark. Thinking quickly, Chela delivered a swift kick to the base of the tree.

"Mierda!" screamed a voice from above as a skinny man came fell down from the tree and landed hard on his ass.

"Ay, mi nalgas," moaned the man as he stood up rubbing his sore rump. He then turned to face Chela who had a mean scowl on her face.

"What the fuck were you doing in my tree asshole?" inquired Chela in a peeved tone.

"Trying to get a picture of you bitch, but you found my hiding spot, three days of being in that damn tree for nothing!" complained the journalist as he checked to see if his camera was broken, unlucky for him it was.

"Serves you right, now get the hell out of my house!" hollered Chela.

"Allow me to show him the door," said Dee Jay who grabbed the man by his shirt and promptly threw him over the fence.

"Ay, can't I get a break from these guys?" wailed Chela.

"You know what, go pack some luggage, I'll take you back to my pad in Jamaica and maybe you can train in peace there and I can also work on my new album ya," suggested Dee Jay.

"I like the sound of that, I'll go pack right away," affirmed Chela as she ran into the house to get ready. Dee Jay slowly followed to prepare to return home to Kingston, Jamaica.

London, England, 7:45 AM

The doorbell rang at the Black Estate, Wilfred Black hurriedly ran downstairs to get the door. Standing in the doorway was Eagle who greeted Wilfred with a hearty handshake.

"Hey guv, aren't you supposed to be at work?" asked Wilfred.

"Eh, the blokes over at the Filthy Blagger let me have a day off today, they say I could use all the time I need to prepare you for this tournament, you know it's really big news after all," responded Eagle.

"I know that, not to mention the bloody board at my company thinks I'm a kook to even consider fighting," commented Wilfred.

"Hey, you are the president of Black Auto Parts Incorporated, they're all worried if something happens to you at this tourney that the company will go under not to mention many think you're too old to be fighting," said Eagle.

"That's a load of bullshit if I do say so myself, they fail to recognize that there have been competitors in these little scuffles that have been a lot older than I am," retorted Wilfred.

"Most of the folk here don't seem to care about the competitors that don't represent jolly old England. They only seemed to pay attention to me, that boxer chap Dudley, and that Delta Red lass, Cammy," replied Eagle.

"Speaking of Cammy and Dudley, where have those two been?" asked Eagle.

"Both of them are in the United States preparing their yank prodigies for the tournament," answered Eagle.

"Ah, I see well let's waste no more time with chit-chat, let's eat and then get down to business," suggested Wilfred.

"Jolly good idea," chortled Eagle.

"Emily, is breakfast ready yet?" called Wilfred to his wife.

"Yes, you and Eagle better eat while it's hot!" called Emily back to Wilfred.

Eagle and Wilfred ran into the kitchen and sat down to eat with the rest of the family while the two British men spoke on how Wilfred's training regimen should go today.

"Honey, are you sure you want to go through with this competition, I don't want you to get killed by a younger buck," said Emily.

"Yes love, I'm sure of this, I can probably hold my own just fine, sure I may be a little more aged that most of the competition, but that means I'm more experienced," replied Wilfred.

"You're husband is strong Mrs. Black, he won't die, he's just doing this to stay in shape that way he can be spry even in old age," added Eagle.

"Well I won't stop you, I just hope you'll be able to come home in one piece," said Emily.

"You won't have to worry about that at all," commented Wilfred as he polished off his mug of coffee and then walked off to go train with Eagle.

Toronto, Canada, 2:00 PM

The Toronto airport was packed, numerous bodies milled through the airport trying to catch their flights or struggling with luggage. The only ones not in disarray were the people waiting for a flight to arrive. The Angry Moose, Pietro Omakovski was slumped down in a chair waiting for a flight from Paris, France to arrive since his friend Remy was coming down from Paris to visit him. Pietro mumbled and groaned out of boredom.

"Damn, these flights take fucking forever to get here, I'm sick of being in this cluttered building dealing with all these autograph hounds," moaned Pietro.

His teammate, Pierre Reynard just shook his head and replied, "Pietro, you're a professional athlete, people are going to ask for your autograph, deal with it, and besides you should be happy that our team won the Stanley Cup."

"That's all fine and dandy, but it's the fact that even though we won, I can't say that I was part of the team since I'm suspended!" hollered Pietro.

"Well you are part of the team, you helped us get there, just remember to learn self-constraint man, it'll help in the future." advised Pierre.

Just then a voice from the intercom spoke. It said, "Flight 210 from Paris, France is now arriving."

"It's about damn time the fucking flight got here," mumbled Pietro to himself.

Pietro and Pierre began to look through the cluster of people coming from the plane trying to scope out where Remy was, in the back of the cluster, a somewhat slender man was looking out into the crowd, he had blue shoulder length hair and was decked out in a black beanie, black jacket, red pants, and brown boots. As the man looked through the crowd he heard Pietro call out his name.

"Remy!" called Pietro.

Remy's eyes immediately zoned in on where the voice was coming from and saw Pietro and Pierre flagging him down, after struggling through the clutter of people he greeted his friends with a hug.

"Bonjour Pietro," said Remy.

"Hey man, glad you finally made it down here, I thought I'd have to fly to Paris myself and drag your ass here," joked Pietro.

"Ha, well anyways I assume you know why I'm here," spoke Remy.

"Yeah, to help Pietro prepare for this little Street Fighter tournament right?" asked Pierre.

"Oui, and to make sure that Pietro keeps his temper in check, we don't want our time bomb to explode now," answered Remy.

"Hey fuck you!" snapped Pietro in a joking manner.

"I understand full well what you're saying Remy," replied Pierre.

"I'm not that bad now, don't blow my anger out of proportion," stated Pietro.

"C'mon, you start more fights than anyone in the league, you get pissed off to easy eh," retorted Pierre.

"He's right, I have to make sure you don't get yourself hauled off to jail before the tournament," added Remy.

"Since when did you become my mother?" asked Pietro.

"I never did, I don't want to be your mother, but if I have to act like her, I will, it's for your own good, get that through your skull," answered Remy.

"If it'll get you to stop preaching okay, I'll be a good little hockey player. But come tournament time, don't get in my way," chimed Pietro.

"That's all we ask of you, just hold off on beating people up until then," said Pierre as the three slim men left the airport, got into Pierre's car and sped off for Pietro's home to get Remy settled in.

Hong Kong, China, 3:15 PM

Yun Lee was having quite a hectic day; his restaurant had a lot more customers than normal today. In fact Yun had to resort to asking Yin and Yang to help out at the restaurant, the orders just kept flowing at a fast pace.

"Hurry up with that dim sum for the businessman over there, and Hoimei, go take those two guys orders over there!" ordered Yun to the workers there.

"All right, don't rush me damn it, you're lucky I had a day off from the office today," grumbled Yang.

Hoimei arrived at the table where two short Chinese men sat fiddling with the condiments. As the two men looked up at Hoimei, her eyes lit up in wonder and she let out a shriek that made everyone in the restaurant look over at her.

"You're Fei Long, you're eating here at our restaurant, and your protégé Quock Xie is eating here too, I'm so lucky to meet you guys, order anything you like," squealed Hoimei.

"Uh, ok, I'll just have an order of garlic fried chicken and some pork fried rice," said Fei Long.

"And I'd like some Peking duck with shrimp chow mein," added Quock.

"It'll be with you shortly," stammered Hoimei, who was still star struck from seeing Fei Long and Quock.

"And my wife says I'm childish, look how she was acting," groaned Yun.

"Well it's not everyday that you see a celebrity come to eat here, I'm going to go talk to them," said Yin.

"Go ahead, I'll cover your orders sis," said Yang.

"Yin headed out to where Fei Long and Quock were sitting, both looked at her for a good minute before Quock opened his mouth to speak.

"You're Yin Lee right, the youngest of the Triple Dragons, nice to meet you," piped Quock.

"You know who me and my brothers are?" asked Yin in astonishment.

"Of course, you guys protect this village, we gotta know what's going on in Hong Kong," responded Fei Long.

"I must say, that my family and I enjoy each of your movies, Quock there's no way that you can fake those moves of yours, and I'm sure you'll prove it at the tournament," remarked Yin.

"Whoa, word sure spreads fast when it comes to celebrity news, but you're right, I will prove I'm for real. Anyways, I heard you Lees were participating as well, am I correct?" said Quock.

"You're correct, Yang believes that this Zephyr has some ulterior motives and thus he decided that we should enter to see what he's all about," replied Yin.

"If that's the case who's going to protect your village while you're gone?" inquired Fei Long.

"My friend Kaoru, she's competent enough to take care of this place in our absence," answered Yin.

"Well that's nice of your friend and it's always cool to have a fellow Chinese warrior representing in the tournament," chimed Quock.

After a while, Yin came out with Quock and Fei Long's food and then gave Yin a glare as if to tell her to get back to working.

"Yin, get back to helping Yang, he can't do this all his own," ordered Yun.

"Ok, well, we'll see you at the tournament Mr. Xie," said Yin as she headed back to the kitchen.

"Good luck!" called out Quock.

As Yin entered the kitchen, Quock and Fei Long dug into their food feeling more at ease about the tournament after their meeting with Yin Lee.

Author's Note: Well, those of you who read the last chapter know what next chapter will be, Ryu and Ken's match, but the whole chapter won't be devoted to that, we'll see some of the other characters as well. So folks, I'm off to go work out the mechanics of that little skirmish, please read and review.


	18. Words of Encouragement

**Chapter 17: Words of Encouragement**

San Francisco, California, 12:15 PM

It was another typical day at the Masters Manor; Ken Masters and Chun-Li were in the mansion's private gymnasium training four youthful combatants. Even though it was still quite early, the odious stench of sweat filled the gym as Mel Masters, Kiyomi, Marcos Ortega, and Sean Matsuda all took turns sparring against one another. Right now Marcos stepped into the ring for an exhibition match with Kiyomi, the twenty-two year old Mexican boxer adjusted the blue boxing gloves Dudley gave him and then took a traditional boxing stance while Kiyomi took on a Tai Chi pose.

"Marcos, remember try to harness the fire within you and once you feel it, use your emotion to bring that fire to the surface," advised Mel.

"Not a problem hombre, I'll do well to keep that in mind," responded Marcos.

"Round 1, Fight!" yelled Sean

Marcos shuffled around the ring looking for an opening as Kiyomi slowly inched towards him, keeping his maneuvering at random, the young Chinese girl refrained from sticking out an attack because she was uncertain that it would connect since she couldn't sense a pattern in Marcos' movement.

"What the hell are you doing, fighting or dancing?" asked Kiyomi.

"It's called defense," answered Marcos.

For a couple of minutes, no attacks were thrown. Once Kiyomi thought she saw a pattern, she pulled out a kick, Marcos parried the kick and threw a right hook aiming right for the face, Kiyomi tilted her head back to avoid the punch and connected with a open palm strike to the ribs, Marcos staggered from the hit, but then retaliated with a left cross to the solar plexus. The two fighters jumped back to gain some breathing room.

"Concentrate Marcos, let her come to you," Marcos mumbled to himself.

"Kikoken!" screamed Kiyomi.

A blue ball of chi flew from Kiyomi's palm; Marcos sidestepped and rushed for an attack of his own.

"Toro Charge!" hollered Marcos.

Rushing full speed ahead, Marcos delivered a hard jab to Kiyomi's ribs making her fly back about six feet, the Chinese girl then performed an ukemi to soften the impact of falling on the ground.

"Sen'en Shuu!" yelled Kiyomi.

The split kick caused Marcos to reel back but quickly he was back on the offense, his blood began to grow hot, and upon seeing an opening, he darted at Kiyomi with another powerful attack.

"Machine Gun Blow!" bellowed Marcos.

But this time, when as he stuck out his fists to strike his opponent, a bright red and orange flame enveloped his gloves and Kiyomi was lit ablaze from the attack, however the fire was extinguished the moment the young girl hit the ground, everyone in the gym just stopped and looked at Marcos in amazement.

"Oh shit, he actually did it!" gasped Sean in astonishment.

"What the, I actually controlled fire, I've learned to control fire!" exclaimed Marcos.

"Congratulations man, I'm sure Dudley will be happy to hear this," said Mel.

"Yeah, that hurt though, I'm thinking maybe you should give your moves new names now," suggested Kiyomi.

"I'll do that when I have more time, right now let's continue our training," replied Marcos.

"Hey Ken, everyone, come quick, you won't believe who's here!" yelled Eliza from another room.

"Huh, ok, take five guys, let's go see what my wife wants," ordered Ken.

With that, everyone dashed out of the gym and over to the front door where Eliza was standing. In the doorway stood a gray haired, bearded Japanese man, upon seeing the red headband on his forehead, the other six people's eyes lit up.

"Ryu, whoa, this is a surprise," gasped Ken.

"I'll say, it's been a while since either of us have heard from you," added Chun-Li.

"Chun-Li? That's odd, what are doing here with Ken?" asked Ryu.

"I brought my daughter here to train so that way she could have some competent people to spar with, plus I haven't seen Ken in a long time," answered Chun-Li.

"I see, so the girl behind you is your daughter, I know who Mel and Sean are, but who is the man with the boxing gloves?" inquired Ryu.

"My name is Marcos Ortega, I'm the prodigy of England's champion boxer, Dudley, Mel offered to teach me to add fire to my attacks," explained Marcos.

"Yeah, he pretty said it all, anyways, you look really old now, what have you been doing?" questioned Ken.

"Training with Master Oro has pretty much consumed most of my time, lately I've been traveling to help me prepare for this upcoming tournament, before coming here I stopped in Sydney to settle the score with Sagat, he has a student fighting in the tournament as well. So are you and Chun-Li fighting?" said Ryu.

"No, not this time, we're going to let the young ones have their time to shine," answered Ken.

"Something tells me you didn't just come here to chat with my dad though," chimed Mel.

"You are right, I came here to have a match with your father, to see if he has improved at all," remarked Ryu.

"Oh I've improved all right, I'll show you," said Ken haughtily.

Ken and Ryu both sauntered out into the backyard, Mel, Kiyomi, Marcos, and Sean followed suit because this was a fight that they wanted to watch.

"Don't hold back Ryu, show me what Senjutu has done for you," called out Ken.

Ryu nodded as he and Ken assumed their battle stances. Slowly inching towards each other, the two stayed focused on each other, their eyes never wandering and soon Ken threw out a snap kick, Ryu grabbed Ken's foot and swept the other leg, Ken rolled back up from the sweep and went for a high kick to Ryu's head, Ryu tilted his head back but Ken brought his leg down like an axe and smacked Ryu across the chest with the heel of his foot. Ryu shot out a fierce, Ken parried the attack at connected with a fierce of his own once again focusing on the chest, Ryu stumbled a bit, he then jumped into the air and aimed for a Jinchuu Watari, Ken rolled out of the way just before Ryu's feet connected with the top of Ken's head

"Ryusen Kyaku!" cried Ken.

Jumping up in an arc like motion with both legs sticking out, the force of the attack knocked Ryu to the ground; Ryu sprung back up to his feet and grabbed Ken by his left arm.

"Niou Riki!" yelled Ryu.

Ryu slammed Ken on his back three times, but knew that his friend was resilient enough to handle it, Ryu jumped back as Ken scrambled back up.

"Hadoken!" yelled Ken.

"Hadoken!" hollered Ryu.

The two blue energy balls collided nullifying each other in the process, Ryu went for another Jinchuu Watari, Ken saw it coming and this time decided to knock Ryu out of the sky.

"Shoryuken!" screamed Ken.

With his fist ablaze, Ryu was hit three times and flew back, the flames surrounding body fizzled out as he hit the ground, Ryu slowly got up and Ken rushed at him, delivering a flurry of kicks, some hit, some were blocked. Ryu retaliated with an uppercut move of his own.

"Oni Yanma!" shouted Ryu.

Before landing, Ken performed his own ukemi and leapt into the air, as he flew towards Ryu, the Japanese fighter looked sternly at his American comrade and prepared to knock him out of the sky.

"Nichiirin Shyou!" yelled Ryu.

A smell yellow energy sphere darted towards the airborne Ken, thinking instinctively Ken parried the projectile and delivered a jump kick to Ryu and followed up with a quick combo.

"Kuzuryuu Reppa!" yelled Ken.

Ryu was immediately hit with a combination of kicks followed by two Shoryukens and then Ken topped off the attack with his Shinryuken, Ryu hit the ground hard, he let out a groan. The four warriors witnessing the fight just started speechless and what was occurring before them.

"Damn, Ken still gives me my greatest challenges, he really has gotten better, I guess having someone to protect gives him reason to grow stronger, I better finish this fast," Ryu thought to himself.

"C'mon Ryu, I know that can't be your best!" taunted Ken.

Ryu finished rising to his feet and began to gather energy once more, Ryu was going for the win with this super move.

"Tengu Stone!" screamed Ryu.

A bunch of floating objects proceeded to circulate around Ryu and rushing in with a combo, he was able to overwhelm Ken, who was unable to defend against all the objects, after the super expired, Ken was on the ground groaning in pain.

"Dad, are you okay?" asked Mel.

"I'm fine son, I just lost a fight, I didn't lose my life," moaned Ken as Ryu helped him to his feet.

"You indeed have made great progress Ken, it was a great match, no match has given me this much of a challenge since my fight with Akuma," said Ryu.

"You're still stronger, but hey, that's to be expected since you did kill Akuma," replied Ken.

"Damn, if he's that powerful, what hope do we have of winning the tournament?" asked Marcos.

"Winning isn't everything Marcos, every battle makes us stronger, although in this case the fate of humankind does depend on us winning, still as long you have the heart of a true fighter, you'll become great, don't doubt your skills," said Ryu.

"Those were beautiful words," said Kiyomi.

"Beautiful and truthful," chimed Mel.

"Ken, I have a favor to ask of you," piped Ryu.

"Sure thing man, what might that be?" asked Ken.

"If something should happen to me, I want you to train under Master Oro, the Senjutu art doesn't deserve to be a lost art," answered Ryu.

Ken hesitated for a second, almost as if he had lost his ability to speak, just then, Eliza walked outside with Chun-Li following her.

"Ken, if this is what Ryu wants, I won't stop you from doing so," said Eliza.

"All right, you have my word Ryu," affirmed Ken.

"Thank you, I'm sorry to be rude, but I must go, I have much more to see and do before the tournament happens," spoke Ryu.

"I understand my friend, I'll see you then," said Ken.

After everyone bid farewell to Ryu, he walked off into the sunset.

"The heart of a true fighter, hmm," mused Sean.

"Those were empowering words he said," remarked Marcos.

"He's right you know, if you don't have the heart, you'll never become great, and that applies to everything in life, if you want something, you have to be behind it one hundred percent," spoke Ken.

"Yes sensei!" shouted Mel, Marcos, Sean, and Kiyomi in unison as the four resumed their training.

Atlanta, Georgia, 4:30 PM

In a dojo, Frederick Lowe was taking a break from his training regimen, he had been working out for many hours and needed to rest, by his side was a friend he met while studying in Brazil, the man beast, Blanka.

"Blanka, I'm glad you were able to come down and cheer me on during this tournament," said Frederick.

"Hey…it's not a…problem at all, after all…you're placing quite a heavy burden on yourself so… I need to be here for encouragement," said Blanka.

"I guess so, I could use all the support I can get, this is going to be one arduous battle," grumbled Frederick.

"True, but you…are strong willed, and as long as that…remains true, you will…do fine, I am sure of that," replied Blanka.

"Yeah, I'm going to get the family dojo back from Zephyr, he will pay for what he's done to my family and for what he's done to anyone else in this world!" bellowed Frederick.

"That's the spirit…my friend, now I think you should…resume you training if you are to…do what you said you would," growled Blanka.

"Yeah, I think you're right too," agreed Frederick.

Frederick sprang off the bench he was sitting on and began to spar with Blanka, their battle cries echoed through the dojo filling the air with such intensity that anyone in the vicinity of the dojo could feel the emotion in the air, that was until a somewhat chubby man with a brown ponytail and pink gi ran into the dojo carrying something in a plastic bag. It was Blanka's best friend, Dan Hibiki.

"Hey Blanka, I got us some sushi to eat once you guys are done sparring, in fact, why don't you let me get a crack at the rookie?" suggested Dan.

"Who you calling a rookie? I'm a two time Tae Kwon Do champ in case you forgot," snapped Frederick.

"You're still no match for Saikyo, now prepare yourself," taunted Dan.

Dan jumped in with a kick, Frederick merely dodged it and delivered a roundhouse to Dan's back sending him flying across the dojo and leaving him dazed on the floor. Blanka just sighed.

"Dan, when will…you accept the fact that…your Saikyo fighting style… is a horrible…style? C'mon…let's just eat all right," said Blanka.

"Yeah, there isn't any way you can help me get better," added Frederick as he proceeded to serve himself.

San Francisco, California, 11:30 PM

The Masters Manor was now rather since Ryu left, Marcos had gone home a half hour ago so he could rest for the next day and Sean was already dozing off. Kiyomi was taking a shower and Mel was heading up to his bedroom to turn in for the night until Ken called him over.

"Hey Mel, can I talk to you for a second?" asked Ken.

"What is it Dad? Is it about my training" inquired Mel.

"No, you're doing great, I just wanted to know, do you like Kiyomi?" asked Ken.

"Well, she is my friend, she's friends with all of us," answered Mel.

"Yeah, but you like her romantically, don't you?" inquired an inquisitive Ken.

"What gives you that idea?" asked Mel in a standoffish tone.

"The way you look at her during training, how you get offended whenever Marcos and Sean tease her, and your conversations with her, you're in love with her," answered Ken.

"Hmm, nothing gets by you, but what do you want me to do?" asked Mel.

"Tell her that you like her, there's no point in hiding something if it can be easily seen," advised Chun-Li who walked over to the two men.

"But do you think she feels the same way about me?" questioned Mel.

"Only one way to find out, you know what you should do," responded Ken.

About five minutes later, Kiyomi came out of the bathroom in her nightgown, as she headed towards her bedroom, she heard Mel calling to her.

"Kiyomi, can I ask you something?" inquired Mel.

"What is it Mel?" asked Kiyomi.

"Well, I was wondering if you would let me take you out on a date, if that's ok with you," stammered Mel.

Kiyomi let out a small smile, and replied by saying, "Of course, I'd love to go out with you, but what took you so long to ask me out?"

"Oh, when your busting your ass all day during training, dating is just not on your mind, in fact, my dad and your mom were the ones that convinced me to do this," laughed Mel.

"I see, it's the same thing here, well goodnight Mel, we'll talk more on this tomorrow," said Kiyomi.

Kiyomi gave Mel a small kiss on the cheek before retiring to her room, Mel let out a "Yes!" before he ran upstairs to go to sleep. Unbeknownst to him, Ken was watching the whole thing.

"That's my boy," said Ken to himself before crawling into bed with Eliza.

Author's Note: Well there we go, I told the fight was going to be short, the longer more drawn out fights won't be until the actual tournament. Next chapter we'll see some other characters again and in the chapter after next will be Mel's date with Kiyomi. Thanks go to all those who have reviewed this story, I'm happy that you guys like this story so far. And once again folks, please read and review.


	19. Questionable Dreams

**Chapter 18: Questionable Dreams**

Seattle, Washington, 3:20 AM

Amy lay comfortably between the soft blankets of her bed. She was so deep into her slumber that she couldn't hear a thing that was going on outside or inside. Currently she was engrossed in a dream as she started to toss and turn in her bed.

"What the, what on earth is going on?" asked Amy.

As she gazed upon the surroundings, she found herself surrounded by machines, the steely surroundings sent a chill down Amy's spine as she walked around, it was silent, so silent that the only sound audible was her footsteps. The young blonde woman turned around to further explore what was around her, her eyes widened as she saw Guile placing bombs around the perimeter of some type of machine that was emitting a blue light. Next to Guile was the Interpol agent, Chun-Li and his dead Air Force friend, Charlie.

"Dad, what are you doing here, what is this place?" inquired Amy

Guile didn't answer, he couldn't even hear her, and he just stayed focused on the task he was performing. Unbeknownst to the two men and one woman, a menacing figure was swooping down on them, a figure clad in a red military uniform and black cape.

"No way, Bison, him and Charlie are dead, Dad, look out!" screamed Amy.

This time, Guile and Charlie looked upward and saw Mike Bison descending towards them laughing in a maniacal tone.

"Fools, you think you can blow up my psycho drive, I am invincible, and you will not leave here alive," cackled Bison.

"Guile, Chun-Li, get out of here, I'll take care of him," called Charlie to his friends.

"Charlie, are you going to be okay by yourself?" asked Chun-Li.

"I don't know, but you must go on for my sake, now go!" screamed Charlie as he held Bison back.

"Hey wait for me!" yelled Amy as she tried to follow her father, but to no avail, as she ran she found out that she wasn't moving from her spot, Amy gulped.

"Shit," grumbled Amy.

Within seconds came a loud explosion, the base was completely destroyed, as the light from the blast cleared, Amy found herself floating, she looked down at the ground and saw that her feet weren't touching it and started to freak out. It got even more bizarre for the young girl as Charlie appeared before her with a few differences, his clothes were all white and there was a halo around his head.

"Amy, you've really grown up, your father must be happy to have you as his daughter," said Charlie.

"You can see me?" gasped Amy.

"Of course, I'm here to give you a message Amy, it involves Datta," answered Charlie.

"Datta, did something happen to him?" question Amy with a worried tone.

"No, he is ok, but I'm here to tell you that you should be true with how you feel for him. At the tournament, tell him how you feel, you don't want to leave words that should be spoken unsaid, especially if something should happen to one of you. Tell Datta that you love him," advised Charlie.

"What the, is something going to happen to one of us?" asked Amy.

"Maybe and maybe not, but don't hold your emotions back Amy, always be true to yourself," replied Charlie as he slowly started to fade away.

As Charlie faded from sight, Amy saw herself becoming more transparent, for she too was also fading. Amy then screamed out of fear.

Rising quickly out of her bed, Amy could feel the sweat drip from every gland in her body making her silky pajamas cling to her body, she gasped as she gazed upon the dark surroundings of her bedroom.

"It was a dream, it felt so real, but those words that Charlie spoke, they were cryptic, as if it had some meaning to them," thought Amy to herself.

As Amy contemplated what the dream may have meant, Guile burst into his daughter's bedroom interrupting his daughter's deep thinking.

"Amy, c'mon time to get ready to train, hurry up and get dressed and meet me downstairs!" said Guile.

"It's morning already?" mumbled Amy.

Amy opened the blinds to her window and saw that the sun was coming up over the horizon, Amy speedily got herself showered and dressed and headed downstairs, her mind still uneasy from the strange dream that had hit her during the night.

"Datta, wherever you are, please be ok," said Amy in a whisper like tone.

Calcutta, India, 5:35 PM

Business was going on in its usual manner in the bustling town of Calcutta. Some kids were out playing with each other, some people shopping for necessities, and in the town square, many men were betting on fights, however in a temple in the northern end of the town, young Datta mediated, his mind in a trance as he focused his thoughts on achieving a higher conscious. He inhaled and exhaled deeply, taking in a good amount of air with every breath. Datta looked around at the other folk meditating along with him and at the elephants cooling themselves off in a nearby pond. The setting was tranquil and helped push Datta further into his rumination.

"Dear Agni, please bless the warriors of this upcoming tournament, do not allow the evil to overcome this lovely world, allow me to use your fiery strength," prayed Datta.

From out of nowhere, a loud shriek arose into the air, separating Datta from his contemplation as the spry Hindu sprung up to his feet and went to see what was causing a fuss. What he saw was a crook holding a gun to a woman's head. Her husband was laying the ground, it was uncertain whether he was deceased or merely out cold, but Datta knew that the woman needed help.

"Look bitch, you're coming with me, right after I take your man's money," barked the criminal as he knelt down over the woman's spouse and filched the wallet from his trousers. The woman shrieked again.

"Shut up, quit making a scene unless you want your brains splattered all over your so-called holy ground!" bellowed the thief.

"Do not desecrate this temple, and let that lady go!" ordered Datta.

"What, you want to get involved?" growled the thief.

"I do not wish to cause harm, but if you further insist on starting trouble, I will have no choice," retorted Datta.

"Oh and what can some pussy ass monk do huh, you gonna chant me into submission huh? Well go ahead and try your luck," snickered the hooligan.

The ne'er-do-well took a swing at Datta, who disappeared before the fist connected leaving the crook confused.

"What the hell was that?" barked the crook.

"Look behind you," said Datta.

The thief whirled around and saw Datta standing behind him. Sticking his leg out, Datta's appendage stretched out and smacked the criminal clean in the face, flooring him.

"Hey, what kind of a kick is that, fight me for real!" bellowed the thief.

"I am fighting for real, the power of Yoga allows me to temper and stretch my body to extents many humans cannot fathom," rebuked Datta.

Reaching into his pants pocket, the criminal pulled out a small switchblade and started to swing wildly at Datta, neither swing seemed to connect at all, the thief was becoming irate and started to get more furious and unfocused with his strikes.

"Damn it, stand still you punk, throw a fucking punch!" hollered the crook.

Once more Datta teleported behind the criminal, drawing in a deep breath, he lunged his face forward.

"Yoga Flame!" screamed Datta.

A blistering red and orange flame flew from Datta's mouth, the thief hit the ground, unable to move due to the pain the Yoga Flame caused to his body.

"Shed your ego and become part of what is around you, awaken!" said Datta to the defeated thief.

Datta walked back to the terrified woman kneeling over her husband, Datta flipped the man over onto his back and placed an ear to his chest, he could feel the man's heart beat faintly.

"He'll be ok, there are no severe injuries to him, he will come to shortly," assured Datta.

The woman hugged Datta out of gratitude for saving her life. Just then, Dhalsim appeared before them.

"Son, what happened?" asked Dhalsim.

"Some hooligan tried to extort money and intercourse from this woman here, I didn't want to have to fight, but I didn't have any other options," answered Datta.

"I understand, I'm glad you remember your lessons, to spread the power of Yoga without the use of violence, only fight if there is no other way," spoke Dhalsim.

"Your son is a great man Dhalsim, he's going to make whoever his wife is proud," chimed the woman.

"I believe so too, Datta, at the tournament, tell Amy how you feel, that's all I ask of you aside from give it your best and win if you make it to the final bout," advised Dhalsim.

Datta merely nodded but then thought to himself, "Don't worry Dad, I will, to think that my pen pal of so many years is most likely the love of my life, I will protect her Dad, no matter what."

Moscow, Russia 7:55 PM

It was already dusk at Moscow, in a cemetery, the mutant known as Oblique sat on the ground overlooking a gravestone, the gravestone of Russia's Red Cyclone Zangief. Oblique let his yellow eyes remain focused on the stone as many emotions whirled through his mind.

"W-W-Why did you have to leave us...like this. You d-d-died a death...unfitting of...a great m-m-man like you," gasped Oblique.

As Oblique mused on the thoughts swirling in his mind, his good friend Necro joined him and sat on the ground next to him.

"Gyorgy, you've been sitting here for a long time, what are you thinking about?" asked Necro.

"Aside from the d-d-dishonorable way that...Zangief was murdered, I-I-I've been thinking about am I really w-w-worthy to fight...for the fate of the p-p-people of this planet? All I am is merely a k-k-killer...not even human anymore, and I even killed a-a-another mutant in this form," rasped Oblique.

"Gyorgy, all the participants bear heavy burdens too, they are all uncertain that they are fit to fight for the world as well, but they are still fighting. And about Twelve, if we didn't destroy him, he would've destroyed us or taken us back to the Illuminati and we would've had to serve Zephyr now or he would kill us, so when it comes to Twelve's death, you did the right thing," answered Necro.

"I u-u-understand Illia, but I don't want to h-h-have...to kill anymore, I want to e-e-escape from my...past, I want t-t-to be...human again," cried Oblique.

"The only way to do that is to secure everyone's future Gyorgy, I don't think the people care who defeats Zephyr, they'll be happy as long as someone ensures that they'll live to see the day after the tournament," said Necro.

"I-I-I understand Illia, I'll n-n-not only...fight for myself, but for everyone, and I w-w-will give Zangief honor even in d-d-death," gasped Oblique.

The two mutants silently prayed for the fallen Red Cyclone and then left the slowly darkening cemetery for the church that offered them sanctuary.

Munich, Germany 12:20 AM

In the dead of the night, Hans Van Bratten was still going strong with his training regimen for the tournament. His mind was at unrest, for although Zephyr had allowed him to come back to Munich to prepare for the Street Fighter tournament; his twin brother Gunter still remained enslaved at the Illuminati base. Thinking about what punishment Zephyr was inflicting upon Gunter further pushed Hans to work harder so he could save his brother. Hans began to think back to the day Zephyr found out he entered the tournament.

"What the, so my slave, you decide to betray me?" asked Zephyr in an enraged tone.

"Ja, because I will not just sit back and work towards the destruction of the human race, you don't give enough credit to the power of the human spirit!" retorted Hans.

"Human spirit, what mindless dribble, well then if you're so adamant about fighting, I will allow you to go home and train, but your brother will remain here," informed Zephyr.

Hans took a quick glance over at Gunter; he was indeed worried about his brother being alone.

"Don't worry Hans, I will be ok, just go, fight for the both of us, I'll be with you in spirit,"

"Very well, I accept your offer," groaned Hans reluctantly.

"Don't think you can walk out just yet. You're still my slave and I'm going to punish you for rebelling against me!" yelled Zephyr.

Zephyr punched Hans hard in the gut, causing him to double over, poor Hans didn't have time to recover before receiving a swift kick to the face and then Zephyr just let loose on Hans but the buff German man did not whimper even once, he just took the beating, and after what seemed like forever, Zephyr was finished.

"Now leave my sight you pitiful scum!" growled Zephyr.

Slowly, Hans limped towards a chopper, but not before taking one last glance at his brother.

Thoughts of that incident further intensified Hans as he pumped his iron even faster

"Damn you Zephyr, you may have given me a beating upon my leave to hinder my progress, but you cannot beat my spirit, I will not relent!" hollered Hans.

Looking over at Hans was the Iron Blooded Giant Hugo. Hugo just stared silently as his prodigy.

"Keep it up Hans, you have a great drive, don't let a few dents in your armor make you fall apart," thought Hugo to himself as Hans worked hard like a machine.

Author's Note: Well, I don't really have much to say about this chapter. Now next chapter will be Mel's date with Kiyomi, some romance going on there, so if you have any suggestions, feel free to let me know in your review. So now I'm off to come up with some stuff for that, so please read and review.


	20. Calm Before the Storm

**Chapter 19: Calm Before the Storm**

San Francisco California, 5:45 PM

The grunts, groans, and shouts of people training were absent from the Masters' Manor that night. But that is because Ken had felt that the four trainees him and Chun-Li had been working with have made significant progress and deserved a day to themselves. Marcos was having a boxing match and afterwards was going to a car show with Raul and Crystal. Sean decided to go see a baseball game, Ken, Chun-Li, and Eliza were spending the day in Sausalito and Mel Masters was preparing for his first date with Kiyomi.

Up in his bedroom, Mel had finished changing into his garb for the night; a silver colored silk shirt, black tailored slacks, and freshly shined black penny loafers. After applying some hair gel to his blonde mane, Mel took a final glance at himself in the mirror.

"Ok, I look polished, I feel good, I've got enough money with me, I'm all set," said Mel to himself.

The eighteen-year-old lad exited his quarters and darted down the stairs where he saw Kiyomi waiting for him. Mel gazed at the lovely Chinese girl all starry eyed.

"Wow, you look absolutely gorgeous tonight," commented Mel. And he meant it, Kiyomi did look quite stunning with her black tresses done up in two buns similar to her adopted mother and clad in green high heels and a silky green Mandarin dress with a gold dragon design on the front and back of the dress that showed off her comely figure very nicely.

"Thanks, you look damn good yourself," remarked Kiyomi who eyed Mel up and down, she indeed liked what she saw.

"Well then, shall we depart from this place and grab a bite to eat?" questioned Mel.

"Yes, let's go," answered Kiyomi.

Arm in arm, the two potential lovebirds headed towards the long black limousine that waited patiently for them to enter, one of the many butlers of the mansion opened the door as Mel helped Kiyomi into the vehicle and then got in himself.

"Take care Mr. Masters," said the butler as he shut the back door of the limo.

"Where do you wish for me to take you sir?" inquired the chauffer to Mel.

"Take us down to Fisherman's Wharf, I'm in the mood for seafood tonight," answered Mel.

"That sounds good to me, I second that, to Fisherman's Wharf," added Kiyomi.

"Right away you two," replied the chauffer who adjusted his hat and sped off towards his destination. In the back of the limousine, Mel and Kiyomi looked deeply into each other's eyes.

"You know, it feels good to finally be able to talk to each other without anyone else around," stated Mel.

"I'll say, sure Marcos and Sean are great guys but their consistent teasing does get on my nerves after a while," responded Kiyomi.

"Yeah, but we are younger than them and haven't really experienced anything in terms of romance yet, so I guess that gives them clout to make fun of us," remarked Mel.

"I guess Marcos forgets that we helped him out big time the night we first met him," chimed Kiyomi.

"He knows that, but still he's older, making him a lot more street smart, and more intelligent in other things, including relationships. So in ways, he learns a little from me and I learn a little from him," piped Mel.

"I never thought about it that way, but what you say does hold merit, and let's not forget Sean, but I'm sure you know him well enough since he was your father's first major student," said Kiyomi.

"Indeed, Sean did like to tease me about girls since I was just a kid. But I still respect Sean because since I saw him almost as often as I saw my dad. I did look up to him when I was little, Sean has always been like an older brother to me," responded Mel.

"You're lucky to have so many people to look up to at youth, being an orphan during my first few years of life was horrible plus being abducted by this strange man named Urien, I'm glad my mom came to help me, it showed me that even though she's not my mom by blood, she still loves me as if I was," spoke Kiyomi.

"That's what made our parents so strong, that they had us to protect. I'm sure that will be how we feel once we become parents," commented Mel.

"Maybe so," retorted Kiyomi.

"Sir, madam, we have arrived at our destination, please exit the vehicle and watch your step," interrupted the chauffer.

Mel opened the back door of the limo and got himself out and then carefully saw Kiyomi out of the limo. The two took a quick look at each other once again and proceed to walk down the wharf hand in hand.

"It's quite a quaint little place, I'm surprised you aren't taking me somewhere more expensive though," said Kiyomi.

"Well, a good time is a good time regardless of how much money you spend, at least that's what I think," responded Mel.

"Yeah, you're right about that, so are we almost to the restaurant, I'm starving," chimed Kiyomi.

"Yeah, it's straight ahead," answered Mel.

Upon entering the restaurant, a mid height, mid weight dark haired man greeted the young couple.

"Ah, Mr. Masters, a pleasure to see you here, I see you've brought quite a lovely lady friend with you. Please, follow me you two, I'm going to give you one of the best seats in the joint," said the man.

The neatly dressed man promptly escorted Mel and Kiyomi to a nice looking booth in the quietest spot of the restaurant, after Mel helped Kiyomi into her seat, he sat down himself and the two proceeded to skim through the menu.

"Wow, that guy was pretty nice," chirped Kiyomi.

"Well, when your dad is famous, it happens a lot," rebutted Mel.

Kiyomi chuckled and took a sip of her water and in about two minutes, the waiter came to them and asked for their orders. After the two ordered their food, he left leaving Kiyomi and Mel to talk some more.

"Has your dad ever told you how he met my mother?" asked Kiyomi.

"Yeah, he told me that story just shortly before you two came to our house, it's interesting how that all happened," answered Mel.

"To think that my mom and your dad might have hooked up, I found it crazy that my mom thought about anybody else like that after Charlie died!" exclaimed Kiyomi.

"Lucky for me my dad had already met my mom, otherwise I would've never been born," remarked Mel.

"That's true, well fate does work in weird ways doesn't it?" questioned Kiyomi.

"I don't argue with you there, all I can do is hope that fate is on our side when the time of tournament comes, there are so many lives weighed down on our shoulders," replied Mel.

"Please Mel, let's not talk about the tournament, it's too stressful right now, and I just want to enjoy this time with you," suggested Kiyomi.

"You're right, let's just hold on to these moments for as long as we can," affirmed Mel.

Many eyes lay focused on the blonde haired boy and his darker haired companion as the dulcet scent of romance wafted up from the secluded little booth in the semi-fancy restaurant. The serene moment however was interrupted as the stocky waiter burst into the scene with Kiyomi and Mel's meals.

"Enjoy your food, I don't have to tell you to enjoy the company, it seems you already do," joked the waiter.

"It seems everyone these days is trying to be a comedian," said Kiyomi.

"I actually like that guy's lightheartedness, it helps ease the tension, after all being serious all the time is not good for anyone," stated Mel as he cracked open a crab claw.

"Agreed, humor is important, you know what I actually found your reactions to Marcos and Sean's teasing funny," chortled Kiyomi.

"Ha, you didn't react any better than I did, you kept chucking your water bottle at Sean's head, and every time you missed," retorted Mel.

Kiyomi and Mel continued to talk and laugh amongst one another as the two dined on the tasteful cuisine that lay before them. After they finished with their dinner, Mel swiftly paid the bill. There was still some sunlight outside as the two exited the restaurant; Mel and Kiyomi once again walked hand in hand allowing them to feel the romantic vibes between each other.

"So what do you have planned for us now?" asked Kiyomi.

"Have you ever been on a boat?" inquired Mel.

"No, but I'd like to be on one," answered Kiyomi.

"That's what we're going to do. I'll tell you this, watching the sun set into the waters of the San Francisco Bay has always been a calming sight. In fact when my dad would train me and Sean, he'd sometimes take us to meditate out on his yacht because the setting was usually calm and fit well for meditation," informed Mel.

"Sounds like a beautiful sight," cooed Kiyomi.

"Trust me, it is," replied Mel.

Mel and Kiyomi walked down to a nearby dock, where a small, but immaculately clean boat lay, waiting for someone to take it out for a spin, outside on the deck was the captain cleaning the boat.

"Hey, Mr. Masters, what can I do for you on this fine day?" asked the captain.

"Take us around the bay, me and my friend here want to watch the sunset out on the water," ordered Mel.

"For the Masters family and friends of them too, that's a wish I'm willing to grant," piped the captain.

Mel and Kiyomi carefully stepped into the cabin of the boat as the captain manned the steering wheel, within a few minutes the boat was off traversing around the clear waters of the San Francisco Bay.

"Wow, this is quite a refreshing experience for me, I've never been around this much water," gasped Kiyomi.

"I see you like it, there's not many people that don't anyways," commented Mel.

Mel and Kiyomi stepped out onto the deck of the boat, the two watched the water rippling behind them and saw a bunch of seals perched onto a rock looking over at them.

"Aw, what cute little things," cooed Kiyomi.

"I'm sure they think the same about us too," commented Mel.

Still the most captivating sight was what Mel had brought Kiyomi out there for in the first place, to watch the sunset out on the bay. Mel gently placed his arm around Kiyomi while she rested her head on Mel's shoulder.

"Mel, this is indeed a beautiful sight, I'm glad you decided to show me this," said Kiyomi.

"It makes you feel calm inside, doesn't it?" asked Mel.

"Yes it does, it feels like all my worries are flying out of my body, I definitely do feel at ease," responded Kiyomi.

"Well just know that when the storm comes, I'll protect you, at any costs," spoke Mel.

The two gazed starry eyed at each once again, and this time, Mel drew Kiyomi closer to him and pressed his lips against hers and the two engaged in a deep, romantically charged kiss, it was almost as if time was standing still for them at that very moment. The captain of the boat smiled as he looked at the sight in front of him. When the two lovebirds finally broke their kiss, they found themselves back at the dock.

"Well, it's getting pretty dark, you two take care of yourselves now you hear," advised the captain.

"We will!" called out Mel and Kiyomi in unison.

Mel and Kiyomi soon headed back to the limousine, the chauffer didn't even say anything to them, he knew better not to butt in on this harmonious moment for the young couple. Mel and Kiyomi sat remarkably close to one another.

"Mel, I thank you for these great moments today, you are indeed a great guy," commented Kiyomi.

"Thanks, but you know, you're the first girl I've ever done this for, and this has given me many memorable moments and I'm sure this has created memorable moments for you as well," responded Mel.

"It has, this is something that will stand out for the whole time I've been here with you," replied Kiyomi.

"Well, I know you told me not to talk about the tournament, but let me tell you this, I hope we do win this thing and put an end to the scare Zephyr has created, so that way we can share many more wonderful moments," said Mel.

Kiyomi nodded in agreement and rested her body on Mel's. Upon arriving back at the mansion, the two again kissed before entering the manor, where they saw everyone else relaxing in the living room.

"Hey guys, how was your date?" asked Sean.

"It went good, we had a lot of fun," answered Mel.

"So are you two officially a couple yet?" inquired Marcos.

"Well, yeah I guess we are, I am officially Mel's girlfriend," responded Kiyomi.

"Well you know what, I'm proud of you Mel," spoke Ken.

"Yeah, you two look so good together," piped Eliza.

"Kiyomi, Mel is a good catch, you two deserve each other, hold on to what you have," advised Chun-Li.

Mel and Kiyomi nodded and sat down on a nearby sofa and conversed with the others in the living room, this time not hiding their true feelings for one another.

Author's Note: Well, did you folks like this little romantic moment? I hope so. Well next chapter we're going to whirlwind back to everybody once more as they make their final preparations for the tournament. So I'm off to go plan out the next chapter. So please read and review.


	21. The Fated Hour Awaits

**Chapter 20: The Fated Hour Awaits**

Two months have come and gone by quickly, and now it is time for the fighters to depart for the location of the tournament that will determine the fate of the world.

Toronto, Canada, early morning

Pietro Omakovski was up and at 'em already, he was absolutely psyched that the day of the tournament was finally arriving, he received notice that a chopper would come to pick him up, and that he could bring some friends if he wanted to.

"Yeah motherfucker! It is time to go knock some people's teeth out, but the chopper needs to hurry its ass up eh!" shouted Pietro.

"I see you still haven't fully mastered the art of patience yet. Calm down man, the fighters aren't going anywhere," grumbled Remy.

"I know that eh, but I've been ready since yesterday, I'm tired of sitting on my ass waiting to get to the location. Hey Pierre, you sure you don't want to come with me?" inquired Pietro.

"No way, someone needs to look after the house eh, besides, I need to practice for the upcoming hockey season," answered Pierre.

Suddenly, the loud whirling of helicopter blades became audible as a chopper landed right near Pietro and Pierre's abode. A man motioned for Pietro to enter the whirlybird.

"This is it, wish me luck eh Pierre, I'll be back in a few days," called Pietro.

"Yeah, you be careful out there eh," advised Pierre.

Pietro shook hands with Pierre and then immediately followed Remy onto the chopper, which headed off towards the location of the tournament.

Hong Kong, China, early morning.

Yun, Yang, and Yin Lee all stood outside near a vacant airport dock. Along with them was fellow participant Quock Xie, his mentor Fei Long, Yun and Yang's wives Hoimei and Shaomei, and their dear friend Kaoru Miadama.

"The time has come to protect our home once again guys," said Yun to his siblings.

"Hopefully we can find out what happened to Gill while we're there," chimed Yang.

"And do well in our fights too," added Yin.

"I'll finally show those tabloid bitches that this is no act, that I can fight!" bellowed Quock.

"Well I'm coming with you guys, someone needs to cheer you on from the sidelines," piped Fei Long.

"You be careful, we don't want you coming home in body bags," cried Hoimei.

"Yes, I couldn't stand the pressure of being a widow," cried Shaomei.

"Don't worry about us you guys, I'll take good care of this village while you're gone, count on it," assured Kaoru.

The four combatants, and Fei Long, bid farewell to their friends and loved ones as the chopper came down to pick them up. Shaomei burst into tears as the chopper took off; Hoimei comforted her younger sister while Kaoru continued to look up at the sky.

Mexico City, Mexico, mid morning.

Chela Castillo had just arrived back in Mexico with Dee Jay. She had enjoyed the peacefulness of Jamaica thoroughly and was heading back to get on the chopper coming to get her for the tournament. Upon exiting the limousine that picked her and Dee Jay up from the airport, they found a chopper sitting outside the front door waiting for her.

"My ride is already here, damn they don't play around," gasped Chela.

"Well at least there's no press around, although that is odd that they aren't though, you normally don't see a chopper parked outside someone's house and not have anyone mill around it," mused Dee Jay.

"Who cares let's just get going before the paparazzi do come around," announced Chela.

Grabbing her luggage from the limo's trunk, she speedily jumped into the chopper. And as soon as Dee Jay got in as well, they were of flying in the clear blue sky to engage in some arduous battles.

London, England, mid morning

Wilfred Black had just completed packing for his trip, Eagle was waiting downstairs in the living room for him and as Wilfred stampeded down with his bags, him and Eagle nodded to each other and prepared to enter the chopper, but not before saying goodbye to Wilfred's family.

"Emily, Ian, Rebecca, Norman, I don't want to worry yourselves to death about me. I'm more than capable of handling myself. Besides this is something that I have to do, to prove I'm still as great of a fighter as anyone younger than I am," remarked Wilfred to his family.

"We won't worry ourselves to death, but we are going to pray for your safety, and that you don't hurt yourself," retorted Emily.

"And I shall pray for you too," spoke Wilfred.

"C'mon chap, let us make haste for the tournament," suggested Eagle.

After a group hug, Wilfred left his home and boarded the mid sized jet black chopper that was going in the same direction as so many other choppers.

Nagoya, Japan, mid morning

Sano Tezuka and Isabella DiMarino both meditated outside, the Italian woman possessed by Rose was staying with Sano and his adoptive family while trying to catch up with Guy.

"The storm that threatens to engulf us all is now upon us," chanted Isabella.

"I can feel the winds trying to overtake me right now, they are quite powerful," added Sano.

"Those winds are just are coming from the propeller blades of that chopper guys, it's time for us to go now," rebutted Cody.

Indeed, Cody and Maki were worried about their adopted son and along with Guy, who still had more to talk to Sano and Isabella about was coming with them to the Street Fighter tournament to be spectators.

"Let us take this storm head on!" shouted Sano and Isabella in unison.

Kyoto, Japan, late morning.

Makoto stood outside her dojo, her bags at her feet as she just lingered in that spot waiting for her chopper. The old monk Retsu stood at her side waiting with her. It was quite silent at that spot until the silence was broken by someone yelling, "Mako-chan!"

"Ibuki, you're fighting too?" asked Makoto as a woman in ninja garb ran up to her.

"Yep, my master asked me to take part in this little tournament to try and obtain something from Zephyr," answered Ibuki.

"Oh, well I guess that's ok, besides, it'll be nice to see you fall on your ass there," joked Makoto.

"Hey, we should try and be good sports about this all right," wailed Ibuki.

"Your friend is right Makoto, we do need to be good sports about this," chimed Retsu.

Makoto nodded in approval as a chopper similar to all the others descended next to the dojo and allowed Ibuki, Makoto, and Retsu to enter.

Nairobi, Kenya, late morning.

"The chopper is here brother!" yelled Elena to her sleeping younger brother.

Unoka Muir immediately snapped out of bed, threw some clothes on and grabbed his luggage. But before running outside he decided to check up on his sister as well as his fiancée Aisha.

"I'm ready, I will avenge you my sister, Zephyr will pay for what he's done to you," said Unoka.

"Come home alive and that's good enough for me," responded Elena.

"Aisha, are you coming with me to cheer me on?" asked Unoka.

"Yes, just a second, I'm almost done packing my bags," answered Aisha.

"Elena, will you be fine on your own, you haven't fully recovered yet," said Unoka.

"I'll be okay, I'll have one of my friends stay with me to make sure, you just go and fight and make me proud my brother," answered Elena.

"Well technically I'm just your half brother," replied Unoka.

"It doesn't matter, we may have different moms, but we're still family, so I don't want anything bad to happen to you," said Elena.

Unoka hugged his sister and then along with his fiancée boarded the dark colored helicopter.

Calcutta, India, early afternoon

Datta and his father Dhalsim meditated out in front of their favorite temple. The young Yoga master had prepared himself hard for the upcoming tournament but still Datta did not want to waste his waiting time doing nothing.

"I feel uneasy, but I must shake these feelings, I can't go into battle with an uneasy mind otherwise I will fail," thought Datta to himself.

As father and son meditated together, their trains of thought were derailed as the strong gusts of the propeller blades washed over them. Both men put their thoughts into deep concentration and then both teleported into the chopper, the pilot's eyes bulged in disbelief as Datta and Dhalsim appeared in the whirlybird.

"What the, how the hell did you guys do that?" asked the astonished pilot.

"It's one of the many inner mysteries of Yoga, now I ask you not to bother us while we meditate," answered Datta.

"But before we resume son, take a look out the window and say goodbye to your mother," said Dhalsim.

Father and son looked out the window to see Sally waving goodbye to her family. Dhalsim and Datta both waved back until she disappeared from their sight.

Munich, Germany, early afternoon

Upon gazing at the helicopter, Hans Van Bratten grew angry, but kept it suppressed. He had been brought home to train by a contraption similar in image to this. Now he was heading back to the Illuminati base where his twin brother remained a slave to Zephyr.

"Hans, I shall come with you, we will both bring Gunter back with us," boomed Hugo.

"I appreciate it Herr Hugo. Let us fight for our freedom and the world's as well!" bellowed Hans.

The two muscular Germans silently stepped into the flying machine and took a seat, not saying anything to the pilot as he took off into the sky.

Moscow, Russia, mid afternoon

Oblique sat on the snowy ground, not paying attention to anything around him, Necro and Effie sat with him but did not interrupt. They knew what their friend was thinking about and decided it would be best not to say anything. But from out of nowhere, a tall masked man in a trench coat walked up to them, it was none other than the mysterious man known only as Q.

"Are y-y-you participating in this...tournament as well?" asked Oblique.

"Yes!" boomed Q bluntly.

Necro said nothing, Effie hid behind her boyfriend due to the fact that Q frightened her.

When the chopper finally arrived to pick up Oblique and Q, Vladimir, the pastor that took care of Oblique came out to bid him farewell.

"May God be with you Gyorgy, even if you never regain your humanity, you're still a good man to do this for us," preached Vladimir.

Q was already in the chopper, Oblique, Necro and Effie all followed suit and as the doors closed, the three mutants engaged in musing amongst each other.

Tokyo, Japan, mid afternoon.

Godo Kanzuki waited at an airport hangar along with his science teacher Mitsukake Kagatoshi. Godo's mother Karin, and her friend Sakura were tagging along as well to root for the two brave men. Right now Godo was engaged in telling his girlfriend Yumi not to worry about him.

"Yumi I'll be okay, besides school will be starting soon, I'm sure you don't want to see me get hurt," said Godo.

"But I may never get to see you again, I have to make sure you're all right, don't make me worry," cried Yumi.

"Son, why don't you just bring her along, it won't hurt us none," suggested Karin.

"All right, you can come with us babe," groaned Godo.

Yumi cheered, but as she hugged her beau, two other people joined them at the waiting place. Biker queen Tomoko Nakamura and her mentor Edmond Honda.

"Hey Tomoko, glad to see you're also participating, Mr. Kanzuki told me all about it," chimed Mitsukake.

"No problem Mr. Kagatoshi, my only gripe is that these stupid choppers won't be able to hold by motorcycle in them," piped Tomoko.

"Hey don't fret Tomoko, you're bike isn't going anywhere, when we get back, it'll be here waiting for you," said E. Honda.

"That's true Edmond-san, besides we need to focus on what's important right," stated Tomoko.

"Yeah!" yelled Godo and Mitsukake in unison.

Two choppers landed. Karin, Godo, Yumi, and E. Honda got into one, while Mitsukake, Sakura, and Tomoko occupied the other, both took off at the exact same time.

Sydney, Australia, late afternoon.

Brock Irvine stood with his mentor Sagat as yet another Illuminati chopper descended to the earth. Brock's mother Delia stood with them as she prepared to see her son off.

"Brock, I'm proud of what you do, in both surfing and martial arts, don't get yourself killed out there son," warned Delia.

"Mom, I'll be ok, I thank for coming to see me off, but you'll see me come back too, and I'll bring Paul home as well," spoke Brock who hugged his mom and promptly entered the helicopter.

"Mr. Sagat, you've done a great job teaching my son, look out for him please," pleaded Delia.

"You're indeed a caring mother, something I wish I had. But like your son said, he's capable of taking care of himself, but you have my word Mrs. Irvine, I'll make sure Brock comes home alive," stated Sagat who followed his pupil into the aircraft.

Tucson, Arizona, late afternoon

Skye Hawk was praying for a restoration of her tribe's land. She knelt and was deeply engrossed into her prayer. Her father Thunder Hawk and her boyfriend Julius Rivers prayed along with her.

"Sacred blood flowing through me, please grant me the strength necessary to help this land flourish once again and the strength to fight for my people," prayed Skye.

The gusts of wind that all the Illuminati choppers kicked up started once again delivering the message to Skye that her departure time was now.

"My daughter, you must embark on your journey, I shall accompany for spiritual support, now let's be off," ordered T. Hawk.

Julius said nothing; he didn't have to because Skye knew how he felt. She just kissed him goodbye and entered the aircraft ready to take on what awaited her.

Atlanta, Georgia, early evening

Frederick Lowe had spent his two months wisely, training day in and day out with his friend Blanka. He stood silently with his friends and family as another member of the Illuminati's aircraft fleet lowered down to pick up the Tae Kwon Do expert.

"Frederick, you gotta make it back man, we still have more parties to attend back in college," cried out his best friend Larry.

"And you still have yet to teach me your skills, besides, I love you Frederick," added his girlfriend Natalie.

"Hey, I'll make it back, so prepare for some hot action when I get back baby!" bellowed Frederick.

"Good to see the hentai in you is still intact," laughed Natalie.

"And I'll make sure everything else comes back intact too," boasted Frederick as him, Blanka, and Dan hopped into the helicopter.

Washington, DC, early evening.

Amy and her father Guile had just joined Vicki Small and Scott Wagner as all three warriors went over their briefing for the tournament along with fellow companions Reginald Biggs and Cammy White.

"Remember guys, we're all there to try and obtain some information about this Zephyr person," informed Wagner.

"Yeah I know, and if his motives are malicious we must stop them at all costs," added Vicki.

"Understood," was all Amy said.

Guile, Reginald, and Cammy remained silent while the combatants talked about their mission details. And as the chopper arrived, the five wasted no time with small talk before heading off to the tournament.

New York City, New York, early evening.

Two buff men stood tall and proud upon entering the Illuminati helicopter, those two were Street Fighter champ Alex, and champion wrestler Xavier Jackson. Their loved ones were with them to cheer them on.

"Xavier, show them what a champ can do!" screamed his wife Essence.

"Kick some butt daddy!" added his son Juwan.

"Alex, you do the same thing Xavier was told to do all right," ordered Tom.

"Will do you guys," replied Alex.

"We'll show them what us champs are made of!" boasted Xavier.

"Well then let's not waste time getting your job back, time to go!" ordered R. Mika to her client.

The chopper sped off as Alex and Xavier's loved ones still waved to them until the chopper flew out of sight.

San Francisco, California, mid evening.

Four fighters, two teachers, and many family members all watched the whirlybird come down near them. Marcos Ortega, Mel Masters, Kiyomi, and Sean Matsuda were all preparing to leave for the tournament. Dudley, Ken Masters, his wife Eliza, Marcos' girlfriend Crystal, and Kiyomi's adoptive mother Chun-Li would accompany the four warriors to the tournament. Marcos' family all came to give the Mexican boxer their support.

"Marcos, show them what happens when you mess with our family," ordered his father Humberto.

"And bring mama home okay," added his sister Juanita.

"Give them hell boy," spoke his grandfather Eduardo.

"I will do just that, I have my friends to thank for my added strength to fight hard in this tournament," spoke Marcos with authority.

"We'll do just fine Mr. Ortega, we'll make sure your wife comes back," said Kiyomi to Humberto.

"And stop him from destroying all of humankind," added Mel.

"So let's quit the small talk and head out already, the tournament isn't going to wait for us!" bellowed Sean.

Everyone that was going entered the good-sized chopper, which took off without any hesitance whatsoever.

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, late evening.

Ryu had traveled to Brazil with his master Oro to train some more, but now it was time for him to test out his new skills, the two already were sitting in a chopper flying over Rio as they spoke to one another.

"The fight is all that matters," mumbled Ryu.

"Only this time we must also fight for our future," rebuked Oro.

Illuminati Base, time unknown.

"MWAHAHAHAHA, the day of extermination is dawning. One by one they will all fall, and I will crush the last little insect personally," cackled Zephyr as some of the helicopters came into his view.

Author's Note: Well next chapter, everyone meets up and we'll see who hits it off and who doesn't. However the first fight won't start until chapter 23. Gives me time to orchestrate the fights. But anyways, please read and review.


	22. Fighters of the World Unite

**Chapter 21: Fighters of the World Unite**

When the choppers began to arrive back the Illuminati base, Zephyr's secretary Luz instructed each of the people on board to just wait inside their helicopter until the rest of them got back. Most of the fighters and their accomplices grumbled upon hearing this, but obeyed anyways. After what seemed like forever, the last chopper finally arrived and as it touched down, Luz began to take count of all the aircrafts to make sure there weren't any stragglers.

"Ok, everyone is finally here, you may exit your helicopters now everyone!" announced Luz.

Upon hearing the announcement, no time was wasted and the choppers were soon empty as each person that jumped out took the time to stretch out and breathe in some fresh air.

"It's about damn time, my ass hurts from sitting down for so long," grumbled Amy as she stretched her quadriceps.

"If you can't take a helicopter ride, then how are you going to be able to handle a beating at this tournament?" inquired Vicki.

"Easy on her Vicki, I feel a little stiff too, having to wait for everyone to get here didn't help matters either," chimed Wagner.

"Hey Amy!" called out somebody from afar. Amy looked in the direction of where the voice came from and spotted Datta waving over to her.

"Oh my God, Datta you're here!" cooed Amy as she ran towards her pen pal and embraced him.

"It's been a while Amy, I'm glad we finally get to meet once again, you've changed a lot from the last time I've seen you," remarked Datta.

"So have you, you look a lot stronger and you look pretty damn good too," commented Amy.

"Uh, thanks. You look good too," stammered Datta, who was somewhat blushing from Amy's comment.

Amy also blushed as Guile went to talk to Dhalsim.

"Well it's obvious that our children are enamored with one another, I just hope that sometime between the brawls that they'll actually say it to each other," whispered Dhalsim to Guile.

"I'm sure they will, they can't ignore the feelings they've been harboring inside for so long. It's only a matter of time before it all comes out," replied Guile.

"The feeling of evil is overpowering me, this is definitely where Zephyr is," mused Isabella.

"Without a doubt, but how will we know who he is? We've never seen him," stated Sano.

As soon as Sano finished his line, Zephyr himself walked to the aircraft landing docks. His silver hair blew around wildly in the breeze that washed over the base. As he cleared his throat, everyone stopped what he or she were doing and looked over at him.

"Welcome fighters, and friends of the fighters, my name is Zephyr. I am the one sponsoring this tournament. The tournament will start tomorrow morning, right now, I will take you to the island where the tournament will take place, we will sort out a bracket over there and then you will rest afterwards. Make sure you are prepared for the fights that come your way. The winner of this tournament will have the distinct honor of fighting me," explained Zephyr.

Each person looked on. Many of the fighters had scornful expressions on their faces as they glared at the malicious Zephyr who right now was masking his true intentions.

"Are they any other questions?" asked Zephyr to all the others.

No one said a thing, they just stared steely eyed at the malevolent deity.

"Very well then, please grab your luggage and board the blue boat to the left of you. Guests of the fighters board the red boat right next to the blue one. Both boats will take you to our island, I shall be with you shortly," ordered Zephyr.

As the fighters and their guests boarded their respective boats, some of them grumbled as Zephyr walked off.

"What a douche bag, trying to put on an act like he's all great and shit, I hate that," grumbled Alex.

"What, what's so bad about this Zephyr guy?" asked Pietro.

"Are you fucking serious, you don't know how bad Zephyr is?" asked Sean.

"No, some of us don't know a thing about him, please explain it to us," answered Chela.

"He kidnapped my mother!" hollered Marcos.

"And my best friend as well!" added Brock.

"He caused me to lose my job!" yelled Xavier.

"He destroyed my tribe's land!" shouted Skye.

"This bastard nearly killed my sister!" bellowed Unoka.

"And he enslaved my twin brother!" added Hans.

"That bitch Zephyr wants to bankrupt my family!" roared Godo.

"Plus, he stole my family's dojo from us!" screamed Frederick.

"Not to mention from what a lot of us have heard, he's out to destroy all of humankind! How you could not know this guy is bad news?" said Mel.

"I've heard a lot about that, but I thought it was all gobbledygook. I guess I was wrong after hearing from you guys what he did to you," piped Wilfred.

"Yes, so no matter what our personal goals are here, we all have one motive in common right?" asked Kiyomi.

"That's right, we're all here to stop the apocalypse from coming at the hands of Zephyr," answered Tomoko.

"But since we're all in this together, don't you think we ought to get to know each other a little bit?" suggested Yin.

"I'm all for it," responded Mitsukake.

"If I'm not mistaken, that buff blonde haired guy is the guy who won the last Street Fighter tournament, Alex," said Quock.

"Yeah I am, I'm here because I want to know what happened to the previous leader of the Illuminati, Gill. He said he saw something special in me, and I want to find out what it is," answered Alex.

"That's why I'm here, for answers, I'm US Secret Service agent Vicki Small," introduced Vicki.

"I'm with her on this too, US Air Force solider Scott Wagner," added Wagner.

"So am I, my name is Amy, daughter of US Air Force colonel Guile," said Amy.

"You government folk don't waste time investigating the fishy stuff do you?" asked Marcos.

"No we don't, and who might you be sir?" asked Wagner.

"I'm Marcos Ortega, I'm California's champion boxer, pretty soon I'll be going pro, I was trained by my father, and by England's number one boxer, Dudley," answered Marcos.

"Yeah, I've heard a lot about you man, you're really good, I'm the Tae Kwon Do champ of the US, Frederick Lowe," chimed in Frederick.

"Damn, we have a lot of champions here. I'm sure you wrestling fans know me as former CWA champ Xavier Jackson also known as X-Clamation!" announced Xavier.

"Yeah, I know you. My kids love seeing your matches on the telly, I never cared for it though, but to each his own I guess. But all that aside, I'm the president of Black Auto Parts, Wilfred Black," said Wilfred to Xavier.

"Well you can add another champ to the list, I'm the champion surfer of Australia, Brock Irvine," piped Brock.

"Well surfing aint much of a sport eh, there isn't much too it. Surfing is kind of sissy eh," remarked Pietro.

"Shows how much you know about surfing. Why don't you actually try it you wanker?" asked Brock.

"Because hockey's bad boy, Pietro Omakovski doesn't need to prove his manhood to a pussy surf bum like you," scoffed Pietro.

"You're an asshole you know that," said Makoto.

"And I'm proud of it bitch!" laughed Pietro.

"Before he pisses us all off, let's continue getting to know each other, for me I'm Skye Hawk of the Thunderfoot tribe, my father Thunder Hawk is the current leader," chimed Skye.

"Awesome, another lover of nature on board, I'm African Capoeira master, Unoka Muir, it's a pleasure to meet you Ms. Hawk," said Unoka as he shook Skye's hand.

"Just call me Skye all right," asked Skye.

"Not a problem at all Skye," replied Unoka.

"Hey I think I know you señorita. You're that Mexican singer, Chela Castillo right?" asked Marcos to Chela.

"Well, I see someone knows me, yeah, that's who I am, I'm here to prove that I'm more than just a pretty singer, that I can really kick ass too," answered Chela.

"That's kind of why I'm here, to prove I'm not a fake martial artist, I'm the Hong Kong film star Quock Xie," piped Quock.

"There's no way you can fake those moves man, I've seen your movies, you're an awesome fighter!" commented Xavier.

"Thanks for the compliment Xavier, glad to see someone believes I'm real," said Quock.

"And what about you, the one that said your twin brother was enslaved, you're one of those famous bodybuilder twins right?" inquired Chela.

"Correct, my name is Hans Van Bratten, and the reason I'm fighting is to ensure my brother's freedom, as well as all of ours," answered Hans.

"Well that's a noble cause, after all Zephyr is bad news, I felt his evil chi upon hearing his name, I'm the successor of the Bushin fighting style, Sano Tezuka," introduced Sano.

"And I can feel his energy due to Rose's spirit inside of me, I am Isabella DiMarino of Genoa, Italy," chimed in Isabella.

"You mean Rose's soul is inside of you, that's odd, but I guess that's ok if it increases your fighting ability, from what I see in your mind, you're an interesting person Isabella," stated Datta.

"You can read my mind young one?" asked Isabella.

"Yes, call me Datta, I am son of India's renowned Yoga master, Dhalsim, the power of the God of Fire, Agni flows through me," answered Datta.

"I've heard a lot about your father from my uncle Guile, I'm Mel Masters everyone, a pleasure to meet you all," said Mel.

"Mel Masters, the son of Ken Masters, we are honored," piped Tomoko.

"Well thanks, and who are you?" asked Mel.

"Tomoko Nakamura, I'm a former biker gang leader here to make something out of my life. I figure fighting for the fate of the world is a noble cause and is a good way to have a little fun too," remarked Tomoko.

"So you're biker eh, motorcycles are cool, but I prefer low riders, still any fast vehicle is awesome in my book," commented Marcos.

"Amen to that my friend," replied Mel.

"Wow, you guys seem cool, I think we could be great friends," said Tomoko.

"Agreed, but I'm already off the market," informed Marcos.

"So am I, in fact, my girlfriend is fighting too," added Mel.

"He's right you know. I am Kiyomi, the adopted daughter of China's number one police officer, Chun-Li, and I'm Mel's girlfriend too," addressed Kiyomi.

"Kiyomi, we, the Lee siblings are honored to have you representing China in this tournament as well," spoke Yun, Yang, and Yin in unison.

"Siblings, you three are all related, that's cool," commented Godo.

"Yes, we the Lee siblings of Hong Kong, I am Yang Lee, this is my twin brother Yun and our younger sister Yin," said Yang as he introduced himself and his siblings.

"We're fighting to protect our village from the Illuminati," spoke Yun.

"Nice meeting you all, the name's Godo Kanzuki, heir to the Kanzuki Zaibatsu, I'm fighting to protect the zaibatsu from Zephyr," introduced Godo.

"And I'm his science teacher, Mitsukake Kagatoshi, the only reason I'm fighting is to mainly look after my best student," piped Mitsukake.

"I wish my teachers looked out for me the way you're looking out for Godo," cried out Ibuki.

"I'm flattered. And if I'm correct, your that fashion designer ninja babe known as Ibuki right?" inquired Mitsukake.

"That's right, not only am I Japan's best clothing designer, I'm also a great ninja too!" affirmed Ibuki.

"Yeah, I remember seeing you at the last Street Fighter tournament, I thought you were damn sexy, and you still are," remarked Sean.

"Aw, how sweet, still my memory is a little fuzzy on you, can you recap for me who you are?" asked Ibuki.

"Sure, my name is Sean Matsuda, the first student of Ken Masters and now I'm a full fledged martial artist," announced Sean.

"Yeah, you sure have improved since that last tournament from what I've heard, I'd like to see how great of a fighter you are now," said Alex.

"I won't disappoint you champ," said Sean.

"I'm sure you won't, by the way, I'm Makoto, sensei of the Rindoukan dojo, it's good to meet you guys," said Makoto.

"The sensei, wow, you're so young though, that must be a heavy burden on you," gasped Wilfred.

"It is, but I have to persevere if I want people to be interested in taking up my style as a form of self defense," answered Makoto.

"That's a good reason to fight Makoto," said Amy.

"Hey, what about that weird looking mutated thing over there, who is he?" asked Wagner pointing over to a corner where Oblique sat away from the others.

"J-J-Just call me…Oblique. And don't r-r-ridicule me…the Illuminati did this to me, I'm here b-b-because I heard they developed a…way to reverse my mutation and to avenge the murder of one…of Russia's g-g-great heroes who Zephyr maliciously slain," stammered Oblique.

"You said a mouthful, but hey, we're all together on this Oblique, you can warm up to us," said Skye.

"Yeah man, we won't make fun of you, I feel your pain man," added Unoka.

"T-T-Thanks for making me…feel welcome here," rasped Oblique.

"Hey, you in the trench coat and mask, who are you?" inquired Brock.

"Q" boomed Q.

"You'll h-h-have to excuse…Q, he doesn't like to talk, he didn't s-s-say a single…thing the whole helicopter r-r-ride," stuttered Oblique.

"As long as we know who he is, that's ok," commented Sano.

"Is that all of us?" questioned Vicki.

"No, how could you forget this guy, he's the original Street Fighter champ!" exclaimed Mel who was pointing to Ryu who was busy meditating.

"Yes, I am Ryu, but being the champion of the first Street Fighter tournament was just a small step for me. Plus I don't care about victory, I just care about fighting great opponents," stated Ryu.

"So you like beating people up too? You sound like my kind of guy eh," commented Pietro. Brock and Makoto rolled their eyes at the Canadian hockey star.

"I don't fight to beat people up as you put it, I fight to better myself, I am the master of Ansatsuken and soon to be the master of Senjutu, I must constantly strive to be better," answered Ryu.

"What can I say, he's got the spirit of a true fighter. He doesn't care if he wins or loses a fight because he learns from each battle, and that makes him stronger. Not just physically, but in a mental and spiritual state as well," stated Marcos.

"Correct, you have learned from what I've told you guys, I'm glad," said Ryu.

For a while each of the fighters conversed with one another, some hitting it off, others not so much so. This continued until Zephyr showed up.

"Ok, please head inside we will be departing now," ordered Zephyr.

"What about our friends?" inquired the fighters.

"Luz will be piloting their boat to the island, so worry now about them, now just head to the inside!" spoke Zephyr in an intimidating tone.

All thirty-two warriors said nothing and immediately walked down to the inside of the boat, as Zephyr manned the controls.

"Foolish humans, bringing loved ones for support. They just brought their friends to an early demise. All of them can die with their loved ones if they wish, it does not matter who they die with because I will make sure each of their deaths are equally painful," thought Zephyr to himself as the two boats left port for the island where the tournament would be held.

Author's Note: Well next chapter we shall have more conversations between the fighters, and some of their guests will be involved too. Next chapter I shall also reveal the tournament bracket. I'd like to thank bushinguy, JTurner, and all the others that read this fic for their support and I hope more readers will back this story so please read and please review.


	23. Determining the Fights

**Chapter 22: Determining the Fights**

Zephyr's Island, time unknown

After what seemed like hours, the two boats finally arrived at port on the island where the tournament would take place. The boat containing the fighters' guests arrived first. Luz led them all out onto the island where each of them watched as the vessel that carried all the warriors aboard shortly docked afterwards.

"Warriors, you have arrived, please exit the ship now and set foot onto your battleground," ordered Zephyr.

"Finally we're here, it's about time!" exclaimed all the fighters aside from Ryu and Q.

All the combatants immediately dashed off the boat as if their pants were on fire. Upon seeing their friends, they all waved to each other glad to see that each of their loved ones had made it to the land mass safely.

"You may speak with your accomplices later, right now we have business to attend to," bellowed Zephyr.

"I shall show them to their resting quarters, you guys will follow Zephyr to determine who will be fighting who. After that is said and done, Master Zephyr will show you to where you guys will be staying," informed Luz.

"Why must we stay in a different place from our companions?" inquired Skye.

"To help you concentrate better on the fight, still they will be properly taken care of, so don't fret," answered Luz.

"That's enough Luz, show the guest to their hotel, you competitors come with me now," ordered Zephyr.

"What a shit head," thought Alex to himself.

While following Zephyr, each of the fighters didn't hesitate to take a look at their lush surroundings. Numerous flora and fauna covered the isle and the climate was rather nice, however the smell of the briny sea still lingered in the air.

"This area is rather nice, I thought the island would be a lot more creepy than this," said Unoka.

"I guess even though Zephyr may be evil, he still likes nice weather," whispered Xavier to Unoka.

"I have no gripes with this island, it feels rather serene," remarked Chela.

"Serene eh, that's pretty contradictory to all the hostility that will occur during our fights if you know what I'm saying," retorted Marcos.

"It doesn't matter, we'll all still be friends after the fights," chimed Tomoko.

"We might not hit it off with everyone, but we'll no longer be strangers to each other, if that's saying anything," commented Brock.

"It is, because whether we are aware of it or not, we are all playing a role in each other's lives now," spoke Isabella.

"Friendship, bah! What a bunch of mindless drivel!" thought Zephyr to himself.

After about fifteen minutes of walking along the island, they came across an eerie looking building. Zephyr opened the giant doors, which made a loud creaking sound as they opened. Upon entering the building, what the fighters saw was something that looked a lot like a coliseum. Along the walls were seats for spectators to watch the fights; in the middle of the building was a circular ring with a steely floor. In the middle of the ring were a board that said on it "Tournament Bracket" and a table with a ballot box on it.

"There will be sixteen fights in the first round. Inside this box are balls numbered 1 through 32. When I call your name, you will reach into the box and grab a ball. The number of the ball will determine what fight you will be in," informed Zephyr.

The fighters merely nodded upon hearing the rules.

"Each fight will continue on until one combatant can no longer fight, if there is a draw, we'll go to our judging panel where three judges will decide who put up the better fight and who will move on to the next round. I'm pretty sure you're all aware that the winner of this tournament will face off against me," said Zephyr.

Again the fighters said nothing, they only nodded, some of them scowling at the malevolent deity.

"The fights will start tomorrow, for you must be tired and I would rather see you all at your full potential. Does everyone understand what I'm saying?" asked Zephyr.

Once again, thirty-two heads bobbed up and down in unison.

"All right then, let's begin organizing the bracket shall we. Will the previous champ, Alex come up and draw," said Zephyr.

Alex stepped out of the crowd of fighters and walked over to the box. Reaching his hand inside, he pulled out a bright green ball with a big black number 2 written on the face of it.

"Number 2 ok, you're the second fighter of the first fight," informed Zephyr.

Alex said nothing to Zephyr; he just turned around and headed back to his companions.

"Amy, please come up," said Zephyr.

Amy wasted no time in grabbing her ball, which had the number 10 on it.

"The second combatant of the fifth fight, no go back to the others," ordered Zephyr.

"Affirmative," spoke Amy.

"Brock Irvine, it is your turn now!" shouted Zephyr.

Brock took a menacing glare at Zephyr before reaching into the box for his ball, which read the number 25.

"Fight thirteen, combatant number one," stated Zephyr.

"Chela Castillo, please draw your number," said Zephyr.

"Ok, I'm coming," called out Chela as she ran up to do her draw. Her hand came out of the box clutching a ball that had the number 13 on it.

"You'll be the first combatant in the seventh match, now head back," ordered Zephyr.

Zephyr continued to call out each of the fighters in alphabetical order, each of those fighters either didn't say a thing to Zephyr or said very little. Soon however, the very last fighter, Yun, took his ball and was placed in the bracket and then the tournament bracket was finally complete.

"All right now we finally have a complete bracket, now I shall read it off to all of you to make sure you understand," announced Zephyr. The bracket read as follows.

"Fight one will be Wilfred Black versus Alex."

"Fight two will be Sano Tezuka versus Quock Xie."

"Fight three will be Yun Lee versus Sean Matsuda."

"Fight four will be Xavier Jackson versus Hans Van Bratten."

"Fight five will be Mel Masters versus Amy."

"Fight six will be Godo Kanzuki versus Mitsukake Kagatoshi."

"Fight seven will be Chela Castillo versus Tomoko Nakamura."

"Fight eight will be Makoto versus Kiyomi."

"Fight nine will be Marcos Ortega versus Unoka Muir."

"Fight ten will be Vicki Small versus Datta."

"Fight eleven will be Ibuki versus Yin Lee."

"Fight twelve will be Isabella DiMarino versus Oblique."

"Fight thirteen will be Brock Irvine versus Pietro Omakovski."

"Fight fourteen will be Ryu versus Q."

"Fight fifteen will be Yang Lee versus Frederick Lowe."

"And fight sixteen will be Scott Wagner versus Skye Hawk."

Still, each fighter did not speak; they only nodded to prove that they understood the bracket.

"Ok now, you may go speak with your guests, rest up, do whatever you want but remember that tomorrow, the fights begin!" announced Zephyr.

Wasting no time, the fighters all disbanded from Zephyr and went out to go talk amongst one another and their loved ones.

"Hey, have you seen the places that we're staying at, they're exquisite!" cried out Yumi to Godo.

"Well what do you expect, a secret organization like the Illuminati has to be loaded in order to function," commented Godo.

"Zephyr is mocking us by doing this. It's his way of saying that he'll give us a little taste of Heaven before sending us to Hell," scoffed Karin.

"You may be right Mom, still he isn't sending anyone to Hell, me and all the other guys here are going to make sure of that," retorted Godo.

"I'm sure you will, so anyways, who are you fighting in the first round Godo?" inquired Sakura.

"Ironically, I'm fighting Mr. Kagatoshi in the first round, talk about your odd coincidences," answered Godo.

"Look at it this way, you actually can smack a teacher and get away with it here, provided you're able to hold your own," chimed Mitsukake.

"I'll keep that in mind, but I must focus on what I came here to do though, and that's protect our zaibatsu," replied Godo.

Elsewhere, Frederick and Sano were talking about the women in the tournament and whom they found attractive.

"So Sano, I know I have a woman waiting for me at home, but I can't help but say that damn these women here are fine as fuck!" exclaimed Frederick.

"I know what you mean. For me I'd have to say Tomoko is the sexiest one here, She may be nice, but I'd like to see her wild side too," responded Sano.

"Yeah Tomoko is definitely hot, so is Chela, that Mexican mamacita made me want to salivate," said Frederick.

"Vicki is too cold for me to like her. Isabella is nice, but she's too much like a sister to me, but that Yin girl was a definite cutie," remarked Sano.

"I don't disagree with you when it comes to Yin. I'll say that Kiyomi is also sexy, but sadly, she's already dating Mel, and that cutie Skye also has a boyfriend waiting for her, so they're out of the question," piped Frederick.

"Sad but true, plus it's pretty obvious that Amy is swooning over Datta so we wouldn't stand a chance with her either," commented Sano.

"Let's not forget Ibuki and Makoto, both those ladies are damn good looking too, especially Ibuki, who wouldn't like a ninja girlfriend?" asked Frederick.

"No one I know, but you're already off the market yourself and I'm a little young for those two, still it doesn't hurt to fantasize. But I can't do that either because I must focus on quelling Zephyr's evil," answered Sano.

"So must I, but until tomorrow, let's forget about Zephyr and just have a little fun," suggested Frederick.

"I agree," said Sano in a low tone.

The two men walked off and continue to talk amongst each other. Elsewhere, Marcos was conversing with Crystal and Dudley about many different things.

"Well Marcos, I must say that I'm proud of the progress you have made leading up to this point. I am anxious to see if the new skills you learned will be effective in battle," spoke Dudley.

"I think I'll be ok amigo, after all I had many people to help me along the way, I will not let them down," replied Marcos confidently.

"Yeah, Dudley, Ken, and Chun-Li, three great fighters helped you to prepare yourself for these fights," piped Crystal.

"Not just them though, but all of you have strengthened me, whether is was working out, sparring, or just cheering me on, it helps me to press forward. It gives me the courage to go all out because I will do just that to save my mother and anyone else that Zephyr dares to touch!" shouted Marcos.

"Wow man, that was powerful speech," remarked Tomoko who immediately walked over to where Marcos was.

"Yup, that would make a great wrestling promo because it comes from the heart," added Xavier who also showed up as well.

"Marcos, please introduce us to these folks," said Dudley.

"Well, this is the CWA wrestler Xavier Jackson, and this is Tomoko Nakamura, their my friends," introduced Marcos.

"Xavier I don't mind, but you and Tomoko better say just friends, I don't want you cheating on me," warned Crystal.

"Easy there girl, I'm not like that, I'm a biker not a home wrecker," commented Tomoko.

"Besides, from what I know about Marcos, if he's as dedicated to you as he is to protecting the ones he loves, you have nothing to worry about," chimed in Xavier.

"Well hey, I'm sure you get this from your wife a lot when you're on the road, right Xavier?" inquired Dudley.

"I sure do, but after seeing a lot of the guys I've worked with actually do all those things, I realize I'd better stay away from the groupies no matter how hard it may be, like you, the ones I care for come first," answered Xavier.

"You know, we could all learn a lot of life lessons from each other," said Tomoko.

"Indeed, and I think we will learn a lot through the course of this tournament," replied Marcos.

Over near the fighters' hotel, Mel and Kiyomi were talking with their parents.

"Ha, so you're fighting cousin Amy in the first round eh Mel, this should be interesting," commented Ken.

"Well, knowing how uncle Guile is with discipline, I will enjoy my fight with her," responded Mel.

"And you're fighting Makoto in the first round, she's been gaining quite a reputation in Japan for being such a young master, you should be honored to fight her Kiyomi," stated Chun-Li.

"I am honored to fight the master of Rindoukan karate, just like I was honored to meet your friend Ken, I feel honored just to be in the presence of so many powerful warriors," replied Kiyomi.

"You sound just like Sean in the last tournament, although I have faith that you'll all do well, I want you guys to fight with all your might, and make sure your opponents give you their all as well," said Ken.

"We will Dad, you won't have to worry about us pulling any punches," stated Mel.

"Mel is right, we have a lot to prove here and we're going to do our best," added Kiyomi.

"We're glad to hear that, but I think you two want to be alone for a while, so we'll leave you be now," said Chun-Li.

"Where are you guys going?" asked Mel.

"We'll probably go talk to Ryu, but good luck in tomorrow's fights," answered Ken.

Before leaving, father and son tapped their fists together as a show of respect and mother and daughter bowed to each other as their show of respect. And for most of the night, many friendships were formed. But as it got later, the fighters all decided to turn in, knowing that tomorrow was going to be an arduous day for all of them.

Author's Note: So how do you folks like the tournament bracket? I myself think it's rather solid, and as far as who is going to win each fight, I'm not saying. But know that each fighter will put up a good fight and show how skilled they are. Next chapter is the first fight of the tournament, Wilfred Black vs. Alex. Place your bets and please read and review.


	24. Round One, Fight One

**Chapter 23: Round One, Fight One**

Zephyr's Island, early morning

The time had come; the tournament was finally about to start. Each of the fighters warmed up in their respective locker rooms, making sure they were adequately prepared for their fights.

In the stadium where the matches would take place, each of the warriors' friends, family members, and associates filled the seats. All of them were brimming with excitement over what could possibly occur in the tournament.

"It's always great to see young blood go up against one another, I like the spunk most of these fighters possess," commented Oro.

"Although the main reason you're here is mainly to watch your student fight, am I not correct?" inquired Ken.

"Yes, I am here to see Ryu fight, I'm sure you'd also like to see your friend in action, but you must also be interested in all the other combatants as well," answered Oro.

"Trust me, I am interested," replied Ken.

Stepping out into the ring came a man with an average build, he sported a black crew cut and was wearing a bluish-gray sport coat and khaki colored slacks. At his side was a blonde female in a somewhat loose fitting red dress. The two both carried microphones in their right hands.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen, I am Rick Rodney Rickenbaugh, but you may call me Triple R!" shouted the man.

"And I am Sue Shillingsworth!" added the woman.

"We will be your announcers for this fine tournament. You're in for some grade a ass kicking today, as I'm sure the reason most of you are here is to see some blood," announced Triple R.

"Or you're just here to see some great matches, whichever you like," announced Sue rolling her eyes at her over the top comrade.

"Let's begin our first match by bringing out the contestants! First up, hailing from London, England, this bloke is the CEO of Black Auto Parts, and is the main driving force behind most of your cars, and although he's white, give it up for Wilfred Black!" yelled Triple R.

Wilfred stepped out from the double doors into the ring, clad in a brown Giorgio Armani suit with black penny loafers, he had a determined look on his face, and an Escrima stick in each hand. Eagle promptly applauded for his friend.

"And his opponent is from the Big Apple, New York City. He's the champion of the last Street Fighter tournament and you can't escape when stepping into the ring with him, let's hear it for Alex!" shouted Sue.

Alex stepped out steely eyed; his garb seemed to be more suited for battle. He wore a red hooded sweater along with his favorite green pants and boots. He raised his fist to the crowd and many did cheer for him, he then turned to Wilfred and the two immediately shook hands.

"Can you keep up with me sir?" asked Alex.

"I'll show you how proficient I am in fisticuffs," answered Wilfred.

"Round 1, fight!" screamed both Triple R and Sue."

Running over to their commentator's table the two announcers made sure they were out of harms way as Wilfred and Alex started circling around each other.

"Wilfred and Alex are taking it slow waiting for who will make the first move, I tell it's like the Revolutionary War, but on a smaller scale and in a smaller battlefield!" joked Triple R. Sue grumbled at Triple R's asinine statement.

Making the first move, Wilfred dashed over to Alex and swung his stick at his head. Alex reared his head back to avoid the blow. Alex threw out a left hook in retaliation, Wilfred ducked underneath the American man's fist, and making an X like motion with his sticks, swept Alex, knocking him back a few feet.

"Wilfred gets the first attack in, but Alex is now back on his feet, I don't think the champion will be felled by one sweep anyways," called Sue.

As Alex rose to his feet, Wilfred rushed out with both sticks in front of him.

"Oxford Red!" yelled Wilfred.

Wilfred proceeded to poke at Alex with his sticks, Alex blocked all the strikes attempted at him, and then grabbed Wilfred. Lifting the middle aged British man high above his head; Alex leapt into the air and then brought Wilfred down hard on his back.

"Ouch! A Power Bomb, I'm sure Wilfred will be feeling that for a while, but this chap I'm sure still has a lot of fight in him," said Triple R.

As Wilfred started to get up, Alex jumped up into the air, with both feet out, attempting to stomp on Wilfred. The CEO started spinning the stick in his right hand around, as Alex came down, he snapped the stick upwards.

"Canterbury Blue!" hollered Wilfred.

The high stick attack knocked Alex out of his attack and back down on the floor yet again. Alex rolled up to a standing position as Wilfred aimed for a strike to Alex's mid section. Alex hurriedly parried the blow and retaliated with a hit of his own.

"Flash Chop!" bellowed Alex.

As Wilfred reeled from the Flash Chop, Alex grabbed the chubby fighter from behind and delivered a suplex to Wilfred, who then groaned in pain.

"This match is going well, it's back and forth, almost like a ping-pong match, it's hard to tell who's going to win this!" remarked Sue.

Wilfred performed his own ukemi out of the suplex and then came out with a knee kick to Alex's stomach and then an X like strike in the same area, Alex staggered back as Wilfred jumped into the air for another quick attack.

"Liverpool White!" screamed Wilfred.

Striking Alex in the head with his sticks, Alex flew back about eight feet and landed on his back. He scrambled back to his feet as Wilfred was attempting another Liverpool White; Alex leapt with his knee out and nailed Wilfred in the gut before the British man could deliver his attack.

"Air Knee Raid!" roared Alex.

Wilfred hit the ground with Alex burying his knee into his ribs, Wilfred jerked around as if he were being electrocuted. Still the battered bloke was not finished yet.

"I don't believe this, this fat middle aged guy is holding his own against the Street Fighter champion, he's got a lot of heart I tell you, but will he have anything else if he keeps up this fight?" inquired Triple R.

Alex rushed at Wilfred yet again with his elbows out; Wilfred proceeded to spin around with both sticks out almost like a helicopter propeller.

"Slash Elbow!" shouted Alex.

"Manchester Black!" yelled Wilfred.

The two warriors ended up trading hits with one another and flew away from each other, both landing on their backs.

"Whoa, talk about a major crash, the two end up smacking each other at the same time, oh but it aint over yet folks, not until the fat lady sings, as both men are still up and kicking!" announced Triple R.

"You still have more fight in you, don't you?" asked Alex in a taunting manner.

"You're one bloody resilient yank, I'm rather enjoying myself," retorted Wilfred.

"Same here now keep going!" yelled Alex.

"That's the spirit chap!" hollered Wilfred as he removed the coat part of his suit, threw it into the stands, and ran at Alex.

Wilfred started flailing his attacks wildly at Alex; the buff blonde didn't even flinch as each attempted strike came flying at him. He just waited for his opening and as he saw it, he delivered a couple of jabs to Wilfred and unleashed one of his super arts.

"You can't escape! Boomerang Raid!" bellowed Alex.

Alex moved forward smacking Wilfred with four hard chops to the chest, as Wilfred spun around from the fourth chop, Alex grabbed the aristocrat and slammed him on his back with yet another powerful suplex.

"Ouch, the Boomerang Raid, one of Alex's most feared moves, Wilfred must be out after that," said Sue.

"Wrong! I swear Wilfred refuses to say "Die" as he's struggles back to his feet, I don't, he's quite durable isn't he?" joked Triple R.

"You're still getting up, I guess you enjoy landing on your ass. So I'll gladly put you back in that position," taunted Alex.

"Go ahead if you dare," retaliated Wilfred.

Alex rushed forward again, preparing to connect with a Slash Elbow. But Wilfred had quite a surprise in store for the Street Fighter champion as he charged up his own super art.

"Manchester Gold!" screamed Wilfred.

Wilfred spun around speedily with both sticks out. The attack sucked Alex in like a cyclone as quick yet painful blows to the face repeatedly struck Alex. After about eighteen blows, Wilfred poked at Alex with one stick and flung the New Yorker into the air. As Alex started his descent Wilfred twirled one stick around and then drove that particular stick right into Alex's sternum. Alex let out a low moan as he hit the ground and started to hold his chest in pain.

"Yow, the Manchester Gold, derived from Eagle, a competitor in the very first tournament. It was painful back then, and it's still painful now as Wilfred has demonstrated!" cried out Sue.

"Damn, this guy takes everything I throw at him and keeps coming back for more. It's been a while since I've actually had a fight like this. I better think of how to keep this guy down," mused Alex to himself.

"Oh, did I break something there bloke? Well then, time to say cheerio!" taunted Wilfred.

"Nope, I'm still game. Now that was good, but I'm not going down like that. Bring it on!" screamed Alex.

Wilfred wasted no time rushing down Alex yet again, Alex was once again back in his combat pose ready to take on Wilfred's onslaught. Back and forth the attacks came, Wilfred would connect with some, and Alex would connect with a few of his own as well. Sweat, as well as little blood dripped onto the ring.

"Flash Chop!" yelled Alex.

"Saint Andrews Green!" shouted Wilfred.

Swinging his sticks like a cricket bat, Wilfred and Alex once again traded hits and flew away from each other yet again.

"Damn, I'm blown away! These two, no matter how many hits they seem to take just won't quit going at each other. But yet I can't wait to see who will come out on top!" shouted Triple R.

"I'm just as speechless as you are Rick," stated Sue.

"Why don't we finish this little scuffle eh chap?" suggested Wilfred.

"If you think you can finish the fight, go for it!" responded Alex.

"Oh, you asked for it then, time to say good night champ," chortled Wilfred.

"Just hurry up and attack me already," scoffed Alex.

"It's your funeral, Union Jack Platinum!" hollered Wilfred.

Wilfred ran Alex swinging his sticks; Alex started to dodge the swings. Then Wilfred came at Alex with an elongated version of his Oxford Red move which by sheer luck caught Alex off guard as he numerous hits from Wilfred's Escrima sticks pelted Alex's already sore chest region. The final strike of the super art knocked Alex away and onto the ground.

"Is it over, did Wilfred Black just pull a major upset in the first fight of the tournament?" asked Sue.

"Wrongamundo Susie! The champ is still not giving up. He's back on one knee showing he's still got fight in him!" replied Triple R.

"Blast it, he's strong," grumbled Wilfred.

The British man went for a hard strike to the head, but Alex rose to his feet and parried the attack just in time.

"Let me show you something new," said Alex.

Alex delivered two jabs followed by a Flash Chop and then he was ready for the coup de grace.

"You can't escape, Rollercoaster DDT!" bellowed Alex.

Alex jumped forward as if to do the Spiral DDT, as he grabbed Wilfred, he started to spin around and slammed Wilfred head first into the ground. But he wasn't through yet. Maintaining his grip on Wilfred, Alex leapt into the air again doing a loop-de-loop and spiraling down to another DDT and then jumped high into the air spiraling the whole way, and then doing another loop-de-loop on the way down, put more pain on Wilfred with a third DDT.

"ARGH…too…strong," mumbled Wilfred as he hit the ground, he tried getting up but just fell back down.

"And Wilfred is unable to continue the fight, that means the winner of the first match is Alex!" announced Sue.

The crowd went wild over the fight they just saw; it was indeed an electrifying start to this tournament. Alex walked over and helped Wilfred to his feet.

"Hey there man, sorry for being so rough on you," said Alex.

"No problem there old boy. I know now why you were the champion of the last tournament, you have a lot of heart in you," gasped Wilfred.

"I could say the same to you as far as heart, you may be older than most of the fighters here, but you still are resilient, keep it up my friend, you were a great challenge," replied Alex.

The two warriors shook hands once again as a show of respect and headed back to where the other fighters were as the crowd continued to cheer for them.

"That was a tough fight, but this tournament is far from over, I'm going to have to step up my game if I want to find out what happened to Gill," thought Alex to himself.

Author's Note: So folks, how was the first fight of the tournament? Did you all enjoy the new super I gave Alex? A thanks goes to JTurner for allowing me to use Triple R and Sue. Well I'm off now to plan the next chapter, which will be the second fight of the tournament. Sano Tezuka and Quock Xie face off against each other next chapter. So until then, please read and review!


	25. Round One, Fight Two

**Chapter 24: Round One, Fight Two**

Zephyr's Island, early morning

Upon heading to the back of the arena, a team of medics hastily took care of Alex and Wilfred's wounds, a few other fighters walked up to the two to see how they were doing.

"Man, I'm amazed at how much punishment you two took from each other," gasped Tomoko.

"Especially for Wilfred, I sure hope that I'm as spry as you are when I reach middle age," added Godo.

"We probably will be, martial artists tend to age very well," stated Marcos.

"That's showing them how real fighters do it, I salute you buddy!" exclaimed Xavier who immediately after speaking saluted Wilfred and Alex.

"Thanks, but don't you think you should go get Sano and Quock, their fight is up next?" inquired Alex.

"Yeah sure, no problem mate," answered Brock as those fighters sped off to retrieve the participants for the next match.

Soon, Triple R and Sue went out to the middle of the ring to address the friends and family of the fighters once again.

"Well folks, I know you all loved the first battle of the tournament. Heck I'm still in love with that first fight, but it's time for all of us to find a new love with this next fight!" announced Triple R. Again Sue grumbled at his comment.

"You can't marry a fight Rick, but anyways the second battle of the first round is about to commence, as soon as we announce the combatants!" announced Sue.

"First up is a young man from Nagoya, Japan. He's the successor of the Bushin ninja style, and you better do your best to keep your eyes on him, here comes Sano Tezuka!" yelled Triple R.

Sano stepped out to the ring clad in a purple Bushin outfit similar to the one Guy used to wear along with a purple mask that covered his mouth. Cody and Maki went wild for their adopted son while Guy merely smiled upon seeing Sano enter the coliseum.

"And his opponent is Hong Kong's most popular film star. His movie "Drunken Monkey Fist" is making a killing at the box office, but he's here to show that his fighting is not all choreography. Give it up for Quock Xie!"

Quock entered the ring with a hard look of determination. His garb consisted of a dark red outfit that was similar to one that the old Kung Fu master, Gen, wore into combat. Triple R and Sue ran back to their commentator's desk after the two fighters stepped into the ring.

"Give him hell Quock!" shouted Fei Long from the stands.

"Round 1, Fight!" shouted both Triple R and Sue in unison.

Quock wasted no time in going for an attack, he aimed a snake like strike at Sano's ribs, but the young ninja sidestepped the attempted attack and back fisted Quock on the back of his head. Quock retaliated with a back kick to the stomach that caused Sano to stagger away from his foe.

"And Quock decides to say screw the waiting game and dive straight into the action, taking Sano off the diving board with him!" yelled Triple R.

"Indeed, and here comes Quock with a front snap kick to the mid section, Sano parries the blow, he tries a roundhouse of his own, oh and it's parried too, and Quock elbows Sano in the foot, ouch!" shouted Sue.

Sano shook his foot around in an effort to numb the pain but Quock rushed back at him and leapt into the air and aimed for an open palm strike to the face. Sano quickly picked some rocks out of his pants pockets and tossed them at Quock.

"Bad Stone!" screamed Sano.

The rocks smacked Quock and sent him crashing to the floor; Quock performed an ukemi and got back on his feet to see Sano jumping at him.

"Time to burn it up, Shien Kyaku!" screamed Quock.

Rising up into the air with his leg aflame, Quock smacked Sano and ignited the ninja, Sano let out a small scream as he flew back, and the flames however went out right when Sano connected with the ground.

"Ouch, the Rising Dragon Kick, or as Quock likes to say it, the Shien Kyaku, quite a scorcher isn't it?" asked Triple R.

"Well, I will say it's a move you don't want to be on the receiving end of," answered Sue promptly.

"That was a good move there, but you still lack the focus to beat me," commented Sano.

"What are you talking about you crackpot? I'm completely focused on this battle, now prepare yourself!" hollered Quock.

Sano and Quock ran at each other full force, Sano aimed for a crescent kick to Quock, who dodged the blow and went for a hard tiger claw like strike to the face. The strike connected but Sano didn't reel for too long and came back with a quick rushing punch.

"Genko!" bellowed Sano.

The hard rushing hook connected with Quock's face and knocked him off his feet causing him to land back first onto the ground. Quock rubbed his sore back as he rose back up while Sano rushed at him speedily.

"Rekka Ken!" screamed Quock.

Quock decked Sano with three fast but powerful punches to the sternum area, the third hit sent Sano to the ground. The Japanese man shook his head to regain his composure as a bloodstain began to redden Sano's purple facemask.

"I have to say this, Fei Long sure did a good job training Quock to be a good martial artist as well as film star, Sano is already bleeding!" exclaimed Triple R.

"Damn, none of my other opponents has ever hit me hard enough to make me bleed, I have to commend you for that," said Sano as he removed his facemask and threw it over to where Cody, Maki, and Guy were sitting.

"Why thanks, but don't start to get soft on me now boy," commented Quock.

"I'm not, I'm not even fatigued yet," retorted Sano.

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear," chortled Quock.

"And the fight continues as Sano and Quock are still going at each other's throats, ooh and Sano grabs Quock and begins to knee him in the gut and now a hard kick to the face, and Quock is floored yet again!" shouted Sue.

Quock smacked the ground with his fist and sprang up to his feet once again, Sano aimed high with another roundhouse kick, but Quock reared his head back and then right as the kick from Sano whiffed, Quock brought his head forward with much power nailing Sano right on his sternum

"Drunken Head Butt!" bellowed Quock.

Sano clutched his chest in pain and tried gasping for air, which was tougher due to the blood flowing from his nose. Quock leapt in again for a jumping roundhouse, Sano, who was having a hard time concentrating on the fight due to his injuries was nailed by the attack and staggered back once again.

"Sano, snap out of your haze, forget about your bloody nose!" hollered Cody from the stands.

"Once again, Rekka Ken!" shrieked Quock.

Reacting speedily, Sano parried all three strikes from the Rekka Ken and hit Quock with a jab, a snap kick and then pulled out another special attack of his own.

"Criminal Upper!" screamed Sano.

A minature cyclone emitted from Sano's fist. The cyclone lifted Quock into the air, hitting him six times; Quock again fell back first onto the cold metal ground. Upon getting up, he saw Sano jumping at him again. The Hong Kong film star had no time to react with a counterattack, so he merely back flipped away from the Bushin practitioner's strike and started to reach into his pockets.

"Oh, what's Quock pulling out? Whoa, a pair of nunchaku, quite possibly his favorite weapon to use in the movies!" yelled Triple R.

Twirling his weapon around in a marvelous display, Quock snickered at Sano who merely stared stone faced at his adversary.

"Are you ready for a Nunchaku Beat Down?" inquired Quock.

"If you think a weapon scares me, then you're sorely mistaken prima donna," answered Sano.

"Whatever you say, let's see if you think you're hot shit after this!" shouted Quock.

Quock swung his nunchaku at Sano, the ninja flipped back to avoid the blow, Quock flew at Sano once more, acting as if he was going to try a kick, Sano went to dodge, but was surprised as Quock's nunchaku met his face. Sano had no time to recover from the blow before Quock riddled him with numerous strikes from the hard wooden sticks linked by a chain. Quock finished off his combo with a Shien Kyaku, flooring Sano. Cody and Maki looked on in worry over their adopted son as Quock nonchalantly put his nunchaku away.

"This is terrible, look what's happening to him Cody," cried Maki.

"I see, but he wanted to fight so badly, so this was to be expected," remarked Cody.

"Worry not, he's Bushin, he won't give up that easily," spoke Guy.

"Holy shit, even after getting whacked so many times with that painful weapon, this young man is not finished, what type of power do these fighters to take such beatings?" gasped Sue in amazement.

"You know kid, it's good to meet somebody that puts up a good fight, I was worried you'd be as lousy as the numerous stuntmen I work with," stated Quock.

"No more games, I'm going to win, I have to win whatever way I can," commented Sano.

Quock dashed forward again and stuck out another tiger claw like strike.

"Reppukyaku!" screamed Sano.

Sano reacted by spinning on his head with one leg sticking out, and nailing Quock square in the face. Quock did another ukemi and as he righted himself again, could start to feel the blood trickling from his nose. The film star merely wiped it away and was again back in Sano's face trying his hardest to make sure his opponent would fall and not get back up. Sano calmly blocked the attacks aimed at him as he grabbed Quock yet again and flipped him over his shoulder onto the ground face first. Before rising though, Quock swept Sano off his feet to try and regain the advantage. Sano did his own ukemi and started to dash at Quock again.

"Drunken Head Butt!" screamed Quock.

Sano parried the head butt and then grabbed Quock and held him tight.

"Bushin Ki Burst!" shouted Sano.

Forming a silvery ball of ki in his palm, Sano blasted the ki ball point blank into Quock's body sending the film star flying far back from him. Quock grumbled as he hit the ground yet again, he was starting to get furious.

"Looks like Sano was packing some heat with that ki burst of his, still Quock is refusing to call it a wrap as he's still looking for a W!" announced Triple R.

"That was a nice move there kid, but we can't have the star fall now can we, time for me to show you some special effects of my own!" shouted Quock.

"Special effects, don't label my ki power as some lame movie term, this is my true fighting energy!" snapped Sano.

"Well that's understandable, still here I go!" yelled Quock.

Quock pulled out large packet of flash powder and a lighter. Without hesitance, Quock lit the bag of flash powder ablaze, and as it began to form into a large ball of flame, the Chinese martial artist prepared to chuck it at his Japanese foe.

"Pyro FX!" bellowed Quock.

The large flaming ball careened towards Sano, thinking instinctively, Sano dove to the ground, avoiding the fiery ball completely, however the heat of the move still nipped at the ninja's back.

"That was a close call, you almost had me there, but in fights, almost doesn't cut it," remarked Sano.

"I know that, well then, I'll just beat you down with my nunchaku again!" shouted Quock.

"Not if I react first, Final Destruction!" shouted Sano.

Sano rushed at Quock and stuck his fist out for a jab before Quock could wield his weapon again. Sano then pelted Quock with a flurry of hard jabs to the face. After about twelve jabs, Sano started to deliver harder punches, after five more hits, he delivered the finishing blow with a fierce uppercut sending Quock high into the air again.

"Uh, damn it," grumbled Quock as he crashed to the floor again, this time he didn't rise.

"Oh my God folks, what an upset, The film star is now seeing stars, thus this makes the winner of the second match Sano Tezuka!" screamed Sue.

"I'm sorry for beating you, but as a Bushin ninja I must do what I can to quell the evil energy," said Sano to the defeated Quock.

"That's fine with me, you did good, hopefully from this match I've proved I'm for real as a martial artist," gasped Quock.

"You did, in fact, you've gained my respect, maybe one day we'll get to fight again," said Sano.

As Sano lifted Quock up, Cody, Guy, Maki, and even Fei Long all clapped for the two warriors, many of the other spectators joined in as Sano and Quock departed from the ring to make way for the next fight.

Author's Note: The second fight is finished. Everything ok with this one? I hope so, and I hope you readers are enjoying reading this. Next fight will be between Yun Lee and Sean Matsuda, so I'm going to go plan that fight out right now, but until then, I must ask as always to please read and review.


	26. Round One, Fight Three

**Chapter 25: Round One, Fight Three**

Zephyr's Island, early morning

Sean Matsuda was busy warming up in his locker room, punching at the air with a hard focused look in his dark brown eyes. At the last tournament, his own master easily defeated him. This time, his master wasn't participating, and Sean had become a more competent fighter, he was ready to show that to those that saw him fall fast at the previous tournament. As he gazed deeply into a mirror about two feet in front of him, the door slowly creaked open and Mel, Kiyomi, and Marcos all burst in.

"Hey Sean, it's go time for you," piped Kiyomi.

"Go out there and show Yun who's the better fighter now," added Marcos.

"Listen Sean, I know the burden you feel now is heavy, not only is the fate of everyone's lives on our hands, but you feel you need to redeem yourself in front of all the fighters from the previous tournament. But worry not, you'll do just that, you have become great, my dad knows that about you, and so do I, my brother," commented Mel.

Sean grabbed a rubber band and tied his long dreadlocks back to keep them out of his face and then turned to face his friends.

"Thanks for psyching me up, I'm ready to roll!" yelled Sean.

At the moment the Brazilian fighter prepared to walk out, Ryu came into the locker room and gazed hard at Sean.

"Remember your old philosophy too, even if I lose today, I'll win tomorrow. So just do your best and I'm sure Ken and all the rest of the fighters here will appreciate you," advised Ryu.

Sean nodded and promptly bowed to Ryu, then departed from his locker room for the arena. At the same time, Yun was getting a pep talk from Yang and Yin.

"Yun, think about what awaits us at home, what we need to protect, who we need to protect, but stay focused on your fight," said Yang to his slightly older twin brother.

"I've heard a lot about Sean, he's quite the accomplished martial artist, so you be careful too," added Yin.

"PSSH, I was stronger than Sean in the last tournament, and I'll still be stronger than him now, just you watch," retorted Yun in a cocky manner.

As Yun started to walk towards the arena, he saw Quock give him thumbs up as the medics took care of his wounds.

"Give him hell Yun!" shouted Quock.

As Sean walked towards the door to the arena, he saw Ibuki give him a salute; Sean bowed to her and blew a kiss towards the female ninja, leaving her flattered yet surprised at the same time. Outside in the arena, Triple R and Sue were ready to announce the start of the third fight.

"Ok now folks, we all know good things come in threes, movie trilogies, packs of blank tapes, my testicles," rambled Triple R.

"Shut up already Rick! Anyways, the third match is about to start and we will introduce you to the contestants!" announced Sue.

"Our first combatant is the leader of a small Hong Kong village and also runs the best restaurant in Hong Kong, he's quite an accomplished Kung Fu expert and skater if I might add, make some noise for Yun Lee!" shouted Triple R.

Yun walked to the stage to cheers, he was clad in his trademark blue hat along with a white tank top, black Kung Fu pants with a yellow sash tied around them and black Kung Fu shoes, he began to stretch out as he entered the ring.

"And his opponent is the first student of the great American martial arts champ, Ken Masters. He's also Brazil's number one martial artist and a skilled basketball and soccer player too! Let's hear it for Sean Matsuda!" yelled Sue.

Loud cheers, especially from Ken, we're heard as Sean stepped out into the ring dressed in a green, yellow, and blue basketball jersey (the colors of the Brazilian flag), a black karate belt, and his yellow gi pants. He also came out dribbling a basketball, which he promptly threw into the stands towards his master and then he turned to face Yun while Triple R and Sue ran back to their announcer's desk.

"I hope married life hasn't softened you Yun," said Sean.

"I hope you're not a pushover anymore," retaliated Yun.

"Round 1, Fight!" shouted Triple R and Sue in unison.

Yun started off by jumping in the air and diving down at Sean with a hard jackknife kick. Sean jumped back causing Yun to miss his attempt, and then tried a jump kick of his own, Yun countered with an uppercut to Sean's stomach knocking the Brazilian back. Sean landed on his feet and gazed hard as Yun dashed at him, Sean put his palms out in a familiar form as a bright blue energy ball started to form in his hands.

"Hadoken!" screamed Sean.

Not expecting the attack, Yun crashed right into the Hadoken and reeled back as Sean rushed at him and tackled the Chinese skater to the ground, promptly delivering two hard punches to his face.

"Ah the Hadoken, that's vintage Ansatsuken right there. No matter how many times I see it, it never gets old!" announced Rick.

"Although Yun is pain from that combined with a Sean Tackle," added Sue.

"An unorthodox combination, just like peanut butter and turkey, but still deliciously effective," remarked Triple R.

"You think that's enough to keep me down?" asked Yun rolling back to his feet.

"I know you're stronger than that, but don't underestimate me!" replied Sean.

"I can still beat you, no matter how much better you get!" screamed Yun as he dashed at Sean once again, Sean aimed for a hook punch towards Yun's face, Yun blocked the blow and delivered a snake like strike to Sean's sternum and then delivered a hard rushing punch to Sean, knocking the warrior on his back. Sean performed an ukemi right as Yun leapt into the air again aiming for another diving jackknife kick, this time Sean reacted with a new move of his own.

"Cold Dragon Smash!" hollered Sean.

An arcing double fisted uppercut nailed Yun, freezing him right as Sean delivered a double axe handle punch while still airborne, knocking Yun down to the ground, the ice around Yun shattered as he hit the ground, Yun shook his head and readjusted his hat as he stood up.

"BRRR, that's chilly, the Cold Dragon Smash, it sounds like an ice cream flavor but it's bound to give you more than brain freeze!" announced Triple R.

"What the…ice? I thought your master used fire," said Yun.

"He does, but I wanted to differentiate myself from him somewhat, so I decided to master the element of cold, which was quite tough if I might add," responded Sean.

Yun and Sean once again sped towards each other, Sean tried a snap kick to Yun's solar plexus, but his strike was parried as Yun tried his own new move.

"Finger Flip Air Walk!" bellowed Yun

Flipping himself off of Sean's Shoulders using only his fingers, Yun delivered four hard kicks to Sean's back while still airborne, Sean staggered and massaged his back briefly trying to numb the pain. Yun then delivered three quick strikes to Sean's chest as he turned around and then knocked him down with a sweep kick, Sean did an ukemi again and as Yun stuck out another kick, Sean parried and delivered two light kicks and then rose up into the air with one leg out and began spinning around like a helicopter propeller.

"Tatsumakisenpuukyaku!" bellowed Sean.

Yun was struck five times. The fifth hit sent Yun's hat flying off his head, exposing his black hair while Yun rubbed his cheeks in pain.

"Looks like I managed to knock that stupid hat off your head," taunted Sean.

"Hey I paid a lot for that hat!" yelled Yun dashing at Sean once again.

"Ryubi Kyaku!" screamed Sean.

Jumping forward in a wheel like motion with both legs out, Sean prepared to nail Yun, but the Kung Fu warrior countered by jumping up in a diagonal motion delivering two kicks to the Brazilian fighter, still Sean's attack did graze Yun and sent him crashing to the ground as well.

"Ouch, now trading hits is always painful for both parties, the ground is somewhere you want to plant yourself on, unless you are a plant," commented Triple R.

"But now both are back up and at each other again, quite a wonderful fight we're seeing Rick," added Sue.

"C'mon Sean, don't let that skater boy make a chump out of you!" yelled Ken from the stands.

Sean took a quick glance to where his master's voice came from and saw Ken, along with Eliza and Chun-Li whistling and cheering for him. As he turned back he could see Yun rushing at him with his fist out ready to deck him, Sean parried and knocked Yun away with another Cold Dragon Smash. Yun wiped up the blood coming from his mouth and dove at Sean again. Sean tried his Cold Dragon Smash again, but this time Yun parried while airborne and smacked Sean and then after a quick combo, he unleashed a super move.

"Sourai Rengeki!" shouted Yun.

Yun proceeded to nail Sean with a flurry of kicks and punches and finished off by sending him airborne with two flying kicks. Upon impact with the ground, the rubber band holding Sean's dreadlocks up snapped off and Sean could feel his long dreads drape across the back of his head, and he hastily pushed them out of his eyes. Sean threw a Hadoken at Yun, as Yun leapt over the attack Sean dashed forward and smacked him with two jabs and a hard hook punch before activating a super of his own.

"Frigid Shoryu Cannon!" bellowed Sean.

Sean lifted Yun up by starting with a Shoryuken, and then lifting him up even further with another one while his fist was encased in frozen ki, Sean's fist connected with Yun sixteen times, as Yun hit the ground, he began to shiver from the after effects of the frozen blows he endured.

"Sean's cooler than the other side of the pillow, in fact, he's ice cold, like Sue's…" stated Triple R before Sue abruptly cut him off.

"Don't even say it Rick or I'll hurt you! But anyways, Sean gains the upper hand again, he's working hard to make his master proud of him, while Yun aims to do the same for his siblings and his lovely wife waiting at home for him," announced Sue.

Back on the field Yun and Sean rushed at each other reigniting the fight; body heat quickly numbed the coldness that coursed through the Chinese fighter's body. As sweat poured down both warriors' foreheads, neither of them was willing to budge an inch as fist and feet flew around. Yun went for a double open palm strike in an attempt to push Sean back, Sean parried and aimed for a hard kick, Yun parried that move and flipped off of Sean's shoulders again for another Finger Flip Air Walk, but Sean whirled around and before Yun's foot could connect with Sean's back, Sean grabbed Yun by his leg and slammed him to the ground face first.

"That's it, I'm not losing this fight to someone weaker than me, Genei Jin!" roared Yun.

Peering out the door leading to the arena were Yang and Yin, both secretly cheering on their brother.

"Yes, this should wrap the fight up no problem," whispered Yin.

"Sean may be strong now, but he's still no match for Yun's Genei Jin," whispered Yang back to his younger sister.

Yun's body began to glow a bluish-green color and as he darted forward, two bluish-green shadows trailed him. Sean tried to swat Yun away with a roundhouse; Yun dodged the kick and immediately pelted Yun with a series of strikes. The shadows mimicked Yun's strikes precisely and their blows added to the pain that Sean was feeling, as he could find no way to defend against Yun's onslaught. As the super started to wear off Yun ended his combo with his new Finger Flip Air Walk. A look of worry and anger crossed Ken's face as Sean hit the ground.

"Oh my God!" gasped Eliza.

"C'mon Sean, get up, you can beat him, I know it, I trained you better than that!" hollered Ken.

"You can still win Sean, now get up!" added Chun-Li.

"Yeah, Yun got him, he should be announced the winner soon," whispered Yang to Yin.

But Yang was wrong, Sean rose to his feet slowly, a surprised look crossed Yun's face as he turned around.

"What the…you shouldn't be getting back up, my Genei Jin is unstoppable," cried out Yun.

"Even if I lose today, I'll win tomorrow, but if I lose now, there might not be a tomorrow, not with what I know about this tournament, I have to beat him, for my master, and for Mel," thought Sean to himself.

"Nothing's unstoppable," retorted Sean to Yun.

"Oh looks like Yun thought he had the fight won, Sean must really be frustrating the poor guy," announced Sue.

"He's long lasting, like the odor of my cat's litter," added Triple R.

Yun rushed at Sean again, he was determined to make sure Sean went down again and stayed down. Sean faked a Sean Tackle, Yun prepared to block low, but too his surprise Sean didn't attempt the grab and aimed a high kick at Yun's head, Yun reeled back as Sean pelted him with two low kicks and then pulled out yet another super.

"This is for you master, Shippu Jinrai Kyaku!" shouted Sean.

Sean whirled forward, pelting Yun with four lighting fast kicks and lifted up into the air with a Tatsumakisenpuukyaku, hitting Yun five more times, before the Kung Fu expert crashed to the ground.

"This…can't…be," gasped Yun as he tried to rise again but to no avail.

"Whoa, did you see that, that was Ken's Shippu Jinrai Kyaku!" shouted Triple R.

"We know, and that move sealed Yun's fate and now we must say that the winner of this fight is none other than Sean Matsuda!" commented Sue.

The crowd went wild, Sean looked over at where Ken was sitting and saw him bow to his student, and Sean bowed back as a show of respect to his master. After that Sean walked over to Yun and helped him to his feet.

"Man Sean, you truly are a great fighter, that was a good match from you," gasped Yun.

"Thanks, you really brought out a lot from me, I wish Brazil had more fighters like you," replied Sean.

"I'm honored to hear you say that, fight well Sean, fight well," rasped Yun.

Sean nodded to Yun, helped him get his hat, and then the two headed back to the locker area to get taken care of.

Author's Note: Nice fight huh? I know some of you might be upset about Yun losing to Sean, but hey, at least Yun put up a good fight. Next fight is between two big guys, Xavier Jackson versus Hans Van Bratten. So I'm off to work on the mechanics of that fight, until then, please read and review.


	27. Round One, Fight Four

**Chapter 26: Round One, Fight Four**

New York City, New York

Now Zephyr had decided to televise the entire tournament worldwide and many people around the world were indeed glued to their sets watching. Such was true at the Jackson family's home where Xavier's wife Essence and his son Juwan, sat with Alex's mentor Tom, Tom's daughter Patricia, and Xavier's friend and tag team partner Omar Lecaros AKA O-Zone. All of them were eagerly anticipating the next fight.

"Wow, those last three matches were quite extraordinary, I'm amazed at how many great fighters there are that I don't know about," gasped Tom.

"I agree father, but we must not give up our hope that Alex will win it all," added Patricia.

"Yay! Daddy is fighting next, go Daddy, you're the best!" exclaimed a hyperactive Juwan who was jumping up and down on the sofa.

"I've never met a more professional wrestler then my man Xavier, I know he'll do great," remarked Omar.

"So true, he's a professional in the ring and with us, good luck dear, we're all cheering from you, even you can't hear us from wherever you are," said Essence.

Zephyr's Island, time unknown

Back on the island, Xavier and Hans stood just on the other side of the double doors waiting for them to be announced.

"Well folks, I hope you're ready for the next match because this one is going to be a regular clash of the titans!" announced Triple R.

"Indeed it is, for match number four will be between a pro wrestler and a bodybuilder who knows how to wrestle," added Sue.

"First up, hailing from New York City, you know him as X-Clamation, the former champ of the CWA, he's ready to show that he's more than just a show boater, here's Xavier Jackson!" yelled Triple R.

Xavier burst forth from the double doors, a fierce look in his eyes, he stood tall and proud dressed in a black sleeveless shirt, black wrestling pants with his wrestler nickname running down his left leg in white letters and black boots. He looked over and saw his manager Mika holding up a sign that said "X-Clamation 4 Life!"

"And his opponent comes to us from Munich, Germany. He's the older of Germany's famous bodybuilding twin brothers and he's ready to turn you into sauerkraut. Let's hear it for Hans Van Bratten!" shouted Sue.

Right after Sue finished announcing him, Hans sauntered out to the ring, a look just as fierce as Xavier's adorned his face. He was clothed in a red, yellow, and black tank top (the colors of the German flag), red gym shorts, and a brown pair of wrestling boots. He could hear Hugo cheering loudly in German for him and as he turned to face his opponent, he promptly shook Xavier's hand as Triple R and Sue dashed back to their table.

"Round 1, Fight!" yelled Triple R and Sue in unison.

Xavier and Hans darted towards each other and immediately locked horns, both attempting to overpower the other. Xavier took an early advantage and arm dragged Hans to the ground. Hans rolled to his feet and delivered a boot to Xavier's stomach. Xavier jumped back from the impact and as Hans went for a jab, Xavier moved his head out of the way and decked Hans with an elbow to the face, Hans jerked back and Xavier grabbed his foe and proceeded to do his favorite wrestling slam.

"Spine Buster!" bellowed Xavier.

Lifting Hans up into the air, Xavier brought down the German, spine first onto his knee. Hans yelped out on pain but hastily did an ukemi and Xavier stuck out a kick of his own. Hans grabbed the New Yorker's big foot and swept his other leg out from under him. Xavier performed his ukemi but before he could react again found Hans's arms wrapped around his abdomen as the bodybuilder started to lift Xavier off his feet.

"German Suplex" hollered Hans.

Hans lifted Xavier over his head and dropped him down onto his neck and shoulder area. Xavier let out a grunt, rolled away from Hans and sprang up to his feet.

"You know I've always wondered about the German Suplex, what makes it different from the American Suplex?" inquired Triple R.

"I don't know Rick, I don't watch too much wrestling anyways," answered Sue.

"Give up already girly man," taunted Hans.

"Shut up, you aren't making me tap out anytime soon Wiener schnitzel!" retorted Xavier.

With a mighty growl, Hans ran forward at his dark skinned challenger. Xavier calmly waited and as Hans prepared to attack, Xavier launched his counter.

"Flying Clothesline!" yelled Xavier.

Leaping forward, Xavier smacked Hans across the neck with his forearm, knocking the muscle bound fighter to the ground. Xavier circled around Hans waiting for his next move to come out. Hans went for a hard punch, but Xavier ducked and hit Hans with an uppercut and then tried to follow it up with a combo. But before he could get off another hit, Hans grabbed Xavier again and lifted him up over his head and held him like a barbell.

"Gorilla Press!" shouted Hans.

Hans bench pressed Xavier a couple times and then dropped Xavier right behind him and did a muscle pose.

"And even in the heat of battle, Hans finds time to flex his biceps, I tell you these bodybuilders are something else," commented Sue.

Seeing the chance to capitalize on Hans's overconfidence, Xavier went for a low blow, smacking Hans right in groin. Hans felt his knees buckle as he held his groin in pain.

"I thought you were supposed to be a good guy in the wrestling ring," piped Hans.

"I am, but this isn't a wrestling match, this is for real!" responded Xavier who didn't hesitate to nail Hans with another Spine Buster.

"He's a little too cocky though as poor Hans suffers a Spine Buster, which is just as bad the blow he got to the bratwurst," remarked Triple R.

Hans stood to his feet, trying to ignore the pain that still lingered in his body from the low blow. Xavier ran towards him ready to inflict more pain, he was stopped cold in his tracks though as Hans leapt into the air and brought Xavier down with the sheer bulk of his body.

"Thesz Press!" shouted Hans.

While lying on top of Xavier, Hans started to lay some punches into him, before he could do too much damage however, Xavier pushed the German off of him and both immediately rose to their feet again. Hans lumbered forward, as Xavier leapt high into the air and wrapped his legs around Hans.

"Hurricanrana!" yelled Xavier.

Keeping his leg grip on Hans tight, Xavier spun around the buff German and using his mighty leg strength, Xavier was able to fling Hans down to the ground hard.

"Ay carumba, that Hurricanrana is one loopy but potent wrestling slam!" shouted Triple R.

"Not bad Mr. CWA, but do you think those flashy moves will keep me down?" asked Hans.

"I'm hoping so, I guess I just have to bring more intensity, let's go!" yelled Xavier.

Hans and Xavier rushed at each other again and were once more locking horns, the sweat poured copiously from the two muscular men's forms. The two growled with potent ferocity at each other. Hans pulled out an Irish Whip, flinging Xavier into the wall of the stadium. The people in the stands could feel their seats vibrating as Xavier collided with the wall below them. Hans sprinted at Xavier, his eyes bulging with furiousness. However, Hans did not stop his dash in time and found himself on the receiving end of Xavier's boot.

"Grape Squisher!" bellowed Xavier

As Hans plunged down to the ground back first, Xavier laid four stomps into Hans's abdominal area.

"Ouch, Xavier's Grape Squisher is definitely making Hans whine," quipped Triple R, putting extra emphasis on the word whine.

"Yeah, getting stomped in the stomach by anyone would hurt though," added Sue.

Hans still rose to his feet, breathing rather laboriously from the stomps he received.

"Schisse," gasped Hans.

"You're still getting up? You must want a second helping of punishment!" taunted Xavier.

The New York wrestler stuck out a chop to Hans. The German man deftly parried the blow and circled behind Hans and wrapped his arms around Xavier's abdomen tightly.

"Hey, what the hell?" inquired Xavier with a surprised tone in his voice.

"Triple German Suplex!" screamed Hans.

Hans lifted Xavier up again and performed a German Suplex, however he did not break his grip on Xavier. Hans got back up, forcing Xavier up with him, and struck again with a second German Suplex. Hans still held tightly to Xavier and once more, lifted him up and performed his third consecutive German Suplex, this time breaking his grip. Xavier grumbled in pain, as he rubbed his shoulders and neck.

"And Hans pulls an amazing feat using three German Suplex slams on Xavier, one on top of the other," announced Sue.

"Yeah Hans, you're the Kaiser!" cheered Hugo.

"Xavier, get up, think of your family at home!" yelled R. Mika.

Xavier soon sat up, as he got to one knee he could see Hans going for a hard hook to his face, Xavier grabbed Hans by the forearm and struck Hans in his already sore stomach area, Hans winced and Xavier took the opportunity to launch his super.

"Spine Buster X!" shouted Xavier.

Xavier did exactly what Hans did to him with his Triple German Suplex, delivering three consecutive Spine Busters right to the bodybuilder. Hans jerked about on the ground, trying to numb the pain in his spine. Xavier stayed in a ready position because he knew the match might not be over, and he war right. Miraculously, actually rose up to fight some more.

"Damn, I'll hand to you Hans, you don't know when to quit, I like that," remarked Xavier.

"I'm like a finely tuned German automobile, I cannot be beaten," replied Hans.

Xavier chortled briefly and resumed the offensive on Hans; the two began to trade punches back and forth like a tennis match. Neither relenting as the battle between the two largest competitors in the tournament seemed to be coming to a head. Xavier stuck out another punch, Hans parried the attack again and jabbed Xavier and chained into another super

"Hammer Frenzy!" screamed Hans.

Hans lunged forward smacking Xavier with a barrage of hard elbows and fists. As Xavier hit the ground, Hans ran back, and then pretending there were ropes around the arena, darted forward and jumped into the air.

"Atomic Leg Drop!" hollered Hans.

Reacting swiftly, Xavier rolled away, and Hans's leg hit nothing but cold metal as he let out another yelp and started gingerly rubbing his leg.

"Go for the big finisher!" screamed R. Mika.

"And you can hear the manager wanting Xavier to pull off everyone favorite wrestling move, but will he do it?" asked Triple R.

"I'm sure he will, being a pro wrestler, he knows how to get a crowd's adrenaline flowing," answered Sue.

"Time to wrap this up," stated Xavier.

"Oh yeah, go champ!" yelled R. Mika

"X-Clamation Point!" shouted Xavier.

Xavier whipped Hans across the ring so hard that even though there were no ropes, Hans came bouncing back at him; Xavier grabbed Hans and gave him a Suplex. He promptly picked up Hans and gave him another Suplex. Xavier then lifted Hans off the ground and then hastily leapt high up into the air spinning around, Xavier then turned Hans upside down and then wrapped his legs around Hans's head and neck and then started to descend.

"See ya!" yelled Xavier as him and Hans dropped to the ground. Hans landed headfirst and then lay on the ground moaning lowly as Xavier stood over him.

"Gunter!" gasped Hans as he failed to get up.

"The X-Clamation Point, whether the match is choreographed or not, that move still packs a wallop," commented Sue

"And with that move, the match is now over. And the winner, and still my favorite CWA wrestler, is Xavier Jackson!" announced Triple R.

"Gunter, is that your twin brother you were talking about?" asked Xavier.

"Yeah, he's trapped down in Zephyr's dungeon, and now he'll never be free since I failed to win this match," rasped Hans.

"That's not true, the rest of us will take it upon us to free your brother that way you two can go back to doing your bodybuilder stuff like you love to do," responded Xavier.

"Thank you, you're a kind man, and definitely a true professional Xavier," said Hans.

"And you were a great adversary, too bad you're not in the CWA, it would be a lot more fun with you there," replied Xavier.

Xavier hoisted Hans up off the ground and the two struck a pose together, the audience cheered for them, with Mika and Hugo's cheers being the loudest. Xavier and Hans both smiled as they exited the arena and proceeded to allow the medics to take care of them.

"Gunter, I leave our fate in my new companions' hands," said Hans to himself.

Author's Note: Another match now finished. I had to try and capture the feel of a wrestling match, hence all the elements you'd see in a typical wrestling show. Although real wrestlers don't have cool super moves. Well next match will be between Mel Masters and Amy. That will probably be my last update until I finish my basic Air Force training, which is just around the corner. But until then, please read and review


	28. Round One, Fight Five

**Chapter 27: Round One, Fight Five**

Zephyr's Island, time unknown

Inside the locker area where all the fighters were milling about, Mel Masters and Amy were both preparing for their match against each other which would be at any moment now. Currently, Amy was busy receiving a pep talk from her accomplices Vicki and Wagner.

"Amy, you must do what you can to win this fight, because we need to find out all we can about Zephyr's little ploy," stated Vicki.

"But even if you lose, worry not, Vicki and I still have our fights, so try not to stress, it will only do you harm in the ring," added Wagner.

"I'm sure I'll be fine, cousin Mel may be younger than me, but I still have more experience than he does when it comes to fights," commented Amy.

"Still, do not underestimate Mel's power, he will be quite formidable, and be careful out there ok," chimed in Datta who just walked over to where Amy's group was standing.

"Thanks for thinking of me Datta, I'll be careful ok," replied Amy who then hugged Datta and then gave the Hindu warrior a small kiss before heading for the double doors that led to the arena.

"Wow, she really must love you Datta. I can tell Amy was trying to hide her true feelings from us by not getting too intimate with that kiss, but the look in her eyes that she gave you said otherwise," piped Wagner.

"I could tell just as well, and I feel the same way about her too," responded Datta.

Over in Mel's locker room, Mel had just finished doing a set of push ups. As he was getting ready to exit his locker room and head for the arena, he saw Kiyomi, Sean, and Marcos all waiting for him

"Mel, go out there and give Amy hell, after all, we are fighting to save all of mankind," remarked Sean.

"I'm sure Amy is fighting for the same reason as well, but I'll do what I can to defeat my cousing in this match," replied Mel.

"Remember man, she's still part of your familia, so just beat her, don't disrespect her," chimed Marcos.

"Sure thing Marcos," said Mel.

"And fight hard honey, all of us will be cheering for you," cooed Kiyomi.

"Don't worry babe, I'll come out of this just fine, just you watch," said Mel.

Mel looked deep at his girlfriend and gave her a nice kiss on the lips. He then turned to Marcos and Sean and gave the two a thumbs up before making his way over to where Amy was waiting. Outside in the arena, Triple R and Sue stood in the middle of the ring with microphones in their hands ready to do their job of announcing the fighters once again.

"Well folks, here comes match number five, or in roman numerals, V, which is also the first letter in victory, and both competitors will be aiming for that V," announced Triple R.

"And what's more interesting is that these two warriors are actually cousins, talk about a pretty big family rivalry," added Sue.

"Our first competitor is from San Francisco, California, he's the son of five time US Martial Arts champion Ken Masters, and he's ready to show that fighting is in his genes, and I don't mean his pants, let's hear it for Mel Masters!" announced Triple R.

Mel stepped out from the double doors into the arena, looking very determined to win his fight. Mel was clad in a blue headband, a red and black jacket with a black T-shirt underneath, black pants, and black sneakers. As he got to the middle of the ring, he raised his fist up and could her many loud cheers, the loudest ones of course, were coming from Ken, Eliza, and Chun-Li.

"And his opponent comes from Seattle, Washington, she's Mel's cousin, and the daughter of retired US Air Force captain, Guile, she's ready to show you who's your sargeant. Give it up for Amy!" cried out Sue.

Amy walked into the ring, her sapphire blue eyes never wavering from Mel. Amy was clothed in a blue Air Force blouse, blue pants, and black leather boots. As she saw Guile cheering for her, she promptly turned to her father and saluted him, and then turned back to Mel. Triple R and Sue ran back to their announcer's desk just as Mel and Amy took their battle stances.

"Let's battle!" said Amy, emulating her father,

"Kakatte ki na!" retorted Mel, also emulating his father.

"Round 1, Fight!" yelled Triple R and Sue in unison.

Amy wasted no time in going for the projectiles, she pulled her hands back and as blue and yellow ki gathered into her fists she brought her hands forward.

"Sonic Boom!" yelled Amy.

The blue and yellow disc of ki shot forward at Mel, who merely sidestepped the attack and then gathered his own ki into his palms and shot forth his own energy attack.

"Hadoken!" shouted Mel.

The blue ball of energy careened towards Amy, who jumped straight up to avoid it, Mel then rushed at her and threw out a roundhouse kick to catch his cousin across the face. Amy took the hit and then back fisted Mel across his face, causing him to stagger back, Amy went for another punch, but Mel grabbed her hand before her fist could connect and flipped her over his shoulders and then slammed his cousin back first onto the cold metal ground.

"There's no way these cousins believe in being family friendly, there here to win no matter what, now that's family entertainment right there," commented Triple R.

"Oh, and Amy gets back to her feet, she's going for a hard boot to Mel's chest, he blocks the attack and aims a jab to Amy's face, she blocks it too and both go for another roundhouse, ouch and they both connect, how brutal," announced Sue.

Mel and Amy dashed at each other yet again, Amy attempted another back fist on Mel, the blonde male ducked under the attack and went for a sweep, Amy leapt up to avoid it, and tried to kick Mel while airborne, Mel parried the blow and as Amy descended again, he went for another sweep, this time Mel was successful in knocking Amy off her feet. Amy rolled away from Mel and took up her stance again.

"Not bad, but do you think you can keep up that ferocity?" asked Amy.

"I don't think so, I know so," answered Mel confidently.

Mel leapt up into the air, while still airborne, he stuck both his feet out and then accelerated his dive straight for Amy's head.

"Jackknife Drop!" hollered Mel.

Amy saw her cousin coming down at her so the blonde female retaliated with another move that her father had taught to her.

"Somersault Shell!" screamed Amy.

Somersaulting upwards with both feet in a scissor like state, Amy succeded in catching Mel and completely snuffing his attack, Mel crashed to the ground but performed and ukemi back to his feet to see Amy leaping at him aiming for another kick to Mel's face, Mel this time had a surprise for her.

"Shoryuken!" bellowed Mel.

Mel's fist went ablaze as he rose upward to snatch Amy. Mel's flaming fist smacked Amy three times as she flew backward. The fire enveloping Amy fizzled out as the blonde female hit the ground. She shook her head to regain her composure and then dashed forward at her cousin with intense fury.

"Wow, I must say that this one really hot match, and Mel's Shoryuken just turned up the heat big time!" quipped Triple R.

"It sure did and now both warriors are back at each other's throats, I bet their fathers are really proud of how good these two are at martial arts," added Sue.

"C'mon Mel, you know this match is mine, just throw in the towel," taunted Amy.

"No way I'm going to just lay down, that would be disrespectful act to the martial arts I studied," retorted Mel.

Amy then grabbed Mel by his neck and lifted him into the air. Mel felt himself starting to gasp for air as he tried to break Amy's hold on him.

"Iron Choke Slam!" shouted Amy as she slammed Mel down onto the ground back first. Mel slowly regained his breath as he rose to his feet. He saw Amy go for a hard hook punch to his face, he flipped away from the attack just in time and as Amy ran forward to try and catch her cousin, Mel rose up into the air with both feet out and started spinning around.

"Tornado!" shouted Mel.

Four kicks pelted Amy across her face, as Mel landed from the attack he delivered three low kicks to Amy's shins and then hit her with another fiery Shoryuken sending her flying away.

"Amy, get up, a soldier never gives up!" yelled Guile from the stands.

"Yeah Mel, keep up the intensity and you'll have this match in the bag!" shouted Ken.

Amy sprang up once again, wiping away the blood that was dripping from her nose. She then fired another Sonic Boom at Mel, only to have it nullified by Mel's Hadoken. Amy threw another Sonic Boom, and Mel fired another Hadoken, and for a while it was a back and forth projectile war.

"Sonic Boom!"

"Hadoken!"

"Sonic Boom!"

"Hadoken!"

"Sonic Boom!"

"Hadoken!"

"Wow, an all out projectile war, although we don't see it often, that's a good thing, it's almost these are being controlled by a computer to only throw projectiles," commented Triple R.

"But something tells me that this will go on until one of them sees an opening to attack their opponent."

Eventually, Mel had enough of Amy's projectile smothering and leapt into the air as Amy tossed another Sonic Boom, Mel delivered a jumping kick to Amy's chest, and then kicked her high into the air and and then sprang up after her.

"Springboard 1080!" shouted Mel.

Mel then spun around three times with both feet out, kicking Amy six times, he then delivered a hard ax kick to her while still airborned, sending his cousin down to the ground below, Amy did her own ukemi and as Mel descended to the ground, Amy was prepared to strike back with her own attack. She nailed Mel with two jabs and then unleashed a super attack.

"Total Wipeout!" bellowed Amy.

Amy smacked Mel with a flurry of kicks and punches and then back fisted Mel away to end the super, Mel did his ukemi again and as Amy leapt at him to attempt to combo into another super, Mel decided to use a super of his own, one he learned from his father.

"Shinryuken!" yelled Mel.

Mel ascended straight upwards with his fist out and spiraling around, Amy was vacuumed into the attack and was pelted by eighteen powerful punches. Amy rolled away from Mel to get some breathing room and to able to strategize for her next attack. Unbeknownst to them, Kiyomi, Marcos, Sean, Datta, Vicki, and Wagner were all watching the fight silently cheering. Kiyomi and Datta seemed to be more focused on the fight, both keeping their eyes their respective love interests.

"I'm amazed at how Mel is taking each blow from Amy and dishing it out just as hard," gasped Vicki.

"I tell you this, Mel may be young, but he certainly isn't stupid, and he's very resilient too" stated Marcos.

"I could understand it, his dad is quite an accomplished fighter, so his son definitely carries his skills well," piped Wagner.

"Well you don't be trained by Ken Masters for several years and turn out a chump, you turn out strong," remarked Sean.

"Still, it is unknown who will win, their fighting auras are both even right now, so it's still anyone's match," said Datta.

"Definitely, let's just pay attention to the fight so we don't miss anything though," suggested Kiyomi.

Back in the ring, Mel and Amy were matching each other blow for blow, Amy kicked Mel in the gut, and Mel retaliated with a fierce punch to Amy's face. Amy went for a Somersault Shell at the same time Mel attempted another Shoryuken, the two moves cancelled each other out and both flew far away from each other.

"Whoa, the two cousins trade hits again, I'm anxiously waiting to see which blonde brawler will advance to the next round," gasped Triple R.

"And it looks like both are getting ready to try and end the match that way they can conserve energy for the next one," added Sue.

"That's it Mel, I'm going to take you out right here, right now, get ready!" shouted Amy.

"I've been ready, show me what you're going to do!" rebutted Mel.

"Here it comes, Sonic Break!" hollered Amy.

Amy fired six Sonic Booms, one right after the other, Mel knew he couldn't dodge them all so he had to think of something fast. As the first Sonic Boom went to connect with Mel, he parried it, the second one came at him, he parried it too, and Sonic Boom numbers three through six were all parried leaving Amy astonished.

"Way to go Mel!" cheered Eliza from the stands.

"Now go for the win!" cheered Chun-Li.

Amy rushed at Mel and tried to hit him, but he parried the blow and nailed his own cousin with a jab, a snap kick as then started up his super to try to close out the match.

"Shoryu Justice!" shouted Mel.

Mel started off the attack with two Shoryukens, then amazingly did a Somersault Shell, and without hesitance, did the Shinryuken to send Amy up into the air and then while still airborne, kicked her straight down to the ground. Amy groaned in pain.

"Uh shit...I failed," gasped Amy as she tried to get up but was unable to do so.

"Wow, and this match between two cousins is over! And the winner of it all is Mel Masters!" yelled Triple R.

"Good show Amy, I'm proud of you," said Guile saluting his daughter.

"Nice job Mel, I knew you could win the match!" cheered Ken.

"Say Ken, how was Mel able to do the Somersault Shell in that super of his when you know I haven't trained him?" inquired Guile.

"I had him watch the videos of your fights at the second Street Fighter tournament, he thought that move was quite cool and so he learned it so he could incorporate that move into his super, besides I think it's good that he creates his own unique attacks," answered Ken.

Mel walked over to his cousin and helped her to her feet he also saluted her and she smiled at him.

"Man, I didn't expect you to be so good, being that I know you want to establish your own identity," rasped Amy.

"Hey, you gave me a good fight, I expected nothing less from you, besides I like fighting, especially since I have people to fight for," replied Mel.

"I guess that's something we can agree on, we both fight well because we have our loved ones to fight for," said Amy.

"Indeed, I'm sure your friends are proud of you too, now let's go get ourselves patched up," said Mel.

Mel and Amy hugged each other and the two headed back to the locker where the medics were waiting to take care of them and where their friends were waiting to congratulate the both of them.

Author's Note: Well, this is my last update for a while. Since I'll be wrapped up with basic Air Force training, it'll be at least six weeks until my next update. But don't worry I will continue on with this fic because I'm pretty sure I can get a computer rather cheap on the base. For those who will be patiently waiting, next battle will be between Godo Kanzuki and Chan's original character Mitsukake Kagatoshi. I hope you fans of Ken and Guile enjoyed this match however. I know I did being that Ken is my favorite SF character. Still, as always, please read and review.


	29. Round One, Fight Six

**Chapter 28: Round One, Fight Six**

Zephyr's Island, time unknown

The first five fights had flown by, and now Godo Kanzuki was waiting in the locker room area with his science teacher and opponent, Mitsukake Kagatoshi and his old school chum Tomoko Nakamura.

"Damn, this fight places a heavy burden on my shoulders, the Kanzuki Zaibatsu is depending on me to defend it," muttered Godo.

"It's a big responsibility but knowing how strong willed your mother was and how strong willed you are, you'll be a great heir to the zaibatsu," replied Mitsukake.

"Mr. Kagatoshi is right, I've seen your mother take care of business and it aint pretty how she does it, but she gets the job done, and I know you will," added Tomoko.

"Thanks, I know I can do this, but Mr. Kagatoshi, don't let me win, if we're going to fight, let's go all out," said Godo.

"Let's just say I'll give you an exam tougher than anything Sakura can conjure up during PE," responded Mitsukake.

Outside in the area were the spectators were, Karin, Sakura, and Godo's girlfriend Yumi were eagerly awaiting for the fight to ensue.

"Finally I get to see my son in action, I know he's gonna make his mama proud and come out of this the winner," boasted Karin.

"What makes you think he can beat Mitsukake if you could never beat me?" taunted Sakura.

"Their two completely different people, and I'm pretty sure I could beat you now since you don't fight anymore," scoffed Karin.

"I'm still in good enough shape to hold my own," retorted Sakura.

"Hey, hey! Stop you two, we're here to watch Godo and Mr. Kagatoshi fight, besides you two are supposed to be friends!" yelled Yumi.

"True, but old rivalries never die, and a Kanzuki never gives up," remarked Karin. Sakura merely nodded to show that she felt the same way.

At that moment, Triple R and Sue walked to the ring again and prepared to announce the next match up.

"What's a slang term for abs? A six pack, and this match number six coming at you with some well toned action!" announced Triple R.

"That's right folks, and our next competition is one between student and teacher, I'm sure it's every student's dream come true to be able to get away with hitting a teacher," added Sue.

"Our first competitor hails from Tokyo, Japan. He's the heir to the Kanzuki Zaibatsu, a soccer lover and a hit with the ladies, and he's ready to get an A on this physical exam, show some love for Godo Kanzuki!" yelled Triple R.

The double doors swung open and Godo stepped out into the steel ring with a confident swagger in his step. The young Japanese man was clad in a black coat with a black T-shirt underneath, black slacks, and black low quarter shoes. Godo let out the Kanzuki family laugh as he saw Karin and Yumi going crazy cheering for him.

"And his opponent is his science teacher at Tamagawa Minami High School. He also is from Tokyo, Japan and he has no qualms failing you out of his class. So folks, give it up for Mitsukake Kagatoshi!" shouted Sue.

Again the double doors opened swiftly as Mitsukake entered the ring clothed in a green button down shirt with a blue tie, khaki colored pants, and brown low quarter shoes. Upon coming face to face with Godo, he put his glasses into his pants pocket while Sakura cheered frantically for her fellow co-worker. Triple R and Sue dashed back to their announcer's table yet again as Godo and Mitsukake both took their battle stance.

"Round 1, Fight!" yelled Triple R and Sue in unison.

Mitsukake and Godo circled each other, waiting patiently for someone to strike. It was Godo who stuck out an attack first, aiming for a chop to Mitsukake's sternum. The Japanese teacher ducked under the attempted strike and went for a uppercut like punch to Godo's chest, Godo reacted instinctively and parried the attack and then grabbed his teacher and started kneeing him in the stomach. He then kicked his teacher upward and as Mitsukake was about to hit the ground, he did an ukemi to his feet and opened his fist forming a small purple flame in his hands.

"Potassium Flame!" shouted Mitsukake.

The purple flame ki burst forward smacking Godo as he rushed towards Mitsukake. Godo let out a small groan as the ki hit him, however the purple flames dissipated quickly and Godo soon went after his teacher again.

"Pardon me for saying this, but why does he call that move the Potassium Flame?" asked Triple R.

"Well because when you burn the element potassium, it emits a small purple flame, don't you know your chemistry Rick?" responded Sue.

"I slept through that class thank you very much," answered Triple R.

"Either way, Godo is back on the offensive, he delivers a sweep kick, Mitsukake jumps over it, and now Godo goes for a roundhouse, and that connects, lucky for Mitsukake he took his glasses off otherwise I'm afraid they would have shattered into his eyes!" announced Sue.

As Mitsukake staggered back, he saw Godo continue rushing at him, he quickly ducked down and swept Godo, as the young Japanese man fell, he performed his own ukemi, and then delivered two jabs and then rushed forward with a special move of his own.

"Gurenken!" shouted Godo.

Godo smacked Mitsukake with three powerful palm strikes, the third one floored Mitsukake, as the science teacher rose to his feet he saw Godo going for a leaping roundhouse kick, Mitsukake reacted fast and prepared a move to knock Godo out of the sky.

"Table Salt Divide!" hollered Mitsukake.

Leaping upward in an arc, Mitsukake delivered a upwards to Godo's chin and on the way down, Mitsukake slammed Godo in the stomach with another chop, sending the young Kanzuki heir crashing to the floor himself.

"The Table Salt Divide, again, I don't get it," said Triple R with a confused tone in his voice.

"Salt is a result of combining sodium with chlorine Rick, splitting it will change it back to it's natural two elements," answered Sue.

"Uh, thank you Sue," piped Triple R.

Godo sprang back up to his feet, Mitsukake launched another Potassium Flame towards his student, Godo ducked under the flame and then he jumped upward in a rainbow like arc and struck Mitsukake with two more hard palm strikes, sending his teacher to the ground once again. Mitsukake hastily rolled away from Godo and arose up to his feet.

"You're good Godo, but you're a little too cocky, and that is going to be your downfall in this fight," spoke Mitsukake.

"Say what you want Mr. Kagatoshi, this isn't the classroom and so far, I've yet to see anything really painful from you," retorted Godo.

"I have yet to show you my toughest part of the exam," replied Mitsukake.

"Let's hope it's as tough as you say it is," boasted Godo.

Godo and Mitsukake darted at each other with no hesitation and began launching strikes at one another. Godo struck with a backfist to Mitsukake's face, but then Mitsukake retaliated with a snap kick to the stomach. Godo soon delivered a knee to Mitsukake's stomach and then unleashed another special attack of his own.

"Mujin Kyaku!" bellowed Godo.

Godo struck Mitsukake with two high snap kicks to the face, sending the Japanese teacher skyward again and then crashing to the ground. As Mitsukake got up, Godo tried to strike Mitsukake with a fierce punch, Mitsukake flipped backwards and then jumped forward with a special move.

"Shunpukyaku!" yelled Mitsukake.

Three hard kicks to the face pelted Godo and then a roundhouse to the sternum floored him.

"Now there's a move I actually know of, the Shunpukyaku, a variation on the famous Ansatsuken move, the Tatsumakisenpuukyaku!" announced Triple R.

"How can you know this stuff, but not simple science facts?" asked Sue.

"Science is just boring in my opinion, it doesn't excite me at all," answered Triple R.

"What the hell was that?" asked Godo.

"You don't be Sakura's friend and not pick up anything from her, besides it was effective," explained Mitsukake.

"That's true, still, learning stuff from Ms. Kasugano won't make a difference in the outcome of this fight," scoffed Godo.

Mitsukake jumped up with a hard kick, Godo stopped the attack in between his hands and prepared to counter the kick.

"Ressen Chou!" shouted Godo.

Godo struck Mitsukake with two simultaneous palm strikes, one in the face, the other in the stomach, Mitsukake flew backwards, but landed on his feet, Godo rushed his teacher unaware that Mitsukake was ready to smack Godo with a super move.

"Bunsen Burner!" screamed Mitsukake.

Purple flames formed in Mitsukake's hand once again as he grabbed Godo by the shirt. The flames continue to surge forth from Mitsukake's hand, completely enveloping Godo in hot purple ki. Godo cried out in pain with each surge that hit him., after about twelve surges, Mitsukake flung Godo away from him. The flames fizzled out as Godo hit the floor. Karin and Yumi eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets out of worry for Godo.

"What are you worrying about, I don't think Godo is gonna stay down after that," commented Sakura.

Godo did rise, shook his head to regain his composure and took his stance again.

"I'll have to admit that did hurt, not bad Mr. Kagatoshi," said Godo.

"There's still more where that came from," replied Mitsukake.

"Wow, after that scalding hot Bunsen Burner super move, Godo is still fighting, he refuses to let his teacher fail him!" yelled Triple R.

Mitsukake leapt forward with another Shunpukyaku, but Godo was able to parry the whole thing and then counted with a snap kick, a fierce punch and then chained that into his own super move.

"Shinpikaibyaku!"

Godo rushed forward with six strong palm strikes, even stronger than the ones involved in his Gurenken attack, the sixth strike floored Mitsukake.

"Yeah, now that's what Godo is made of, that's my son!" shouted Karin.

"C'mon babe, we're all rooting for you!" shouted Yumi.

Mitsukake jumped up to his feet and then dashed away from Godo.

"Hmm, you've learned your mother's style well, I think you're ready for my final exam here," said Mitsukake.

"And I'm going to ace it," spoke Godo with a confident tone in his voice.

"Well, I must say that this scuffle between teacher and student is more fun than any sex scandal stories involving teacher and student, although it would just be disturbing in this case," commented Triple R.

"Yes, and it seems Mitsukake is going to aim to take Godo down now," added Sue.

Mitsukake and Godo again rushed at each other, Mitsukake stuck out a hook punch, Godo blocked and retaliated with a jab, Mitsukake parried the jab and threw Godo over his shoulder and then jumped at Godo with another roundhouse as he was getting up. Godo flipped backwards to avoid getting hit and attempted a Gurenken, only to have it blocked and then Mitsukake went for a knee, Godo blocked it and went for a roundhouse to the face. Mitsukake leaned back to dodge the blow. Mitsukake finally connected with a fierce punch to the face, followed in up with a side kick and then brought forth yet another super.

"Atom Splitter!" yelled Mitsukake.

Mitsukake kicked Godo in the abdomen with a roundhouse causing Godo to clutch his stomach in pain, and then delivered a hard martial arts flurry of kicks and punches pelting Godo with high intensity, he then mixed in a Shunpukyaku, and then kicked Godo upwards and then finished the super off with a Table Salt Divide. Godo hit the ground hard, Karin and Yumi gasped again fearing that Godo was down for the count.

"I think it's over Sue," announced Triple R.

"Don't think it's over, know that's it over, and it isn't because Godo is getting up now, slowly, but he's still got fight in him," responded Sue.

"Damn, that nearly got me there, I don't think I can handle another one of those," gasped Godo.

"Well then, I guess it's time to show you that not only am I your superiror at school, but I'm your superior in combat too!" yelled Mitsukake ready to go for the finish on Godo. The Japanese teacher reached for Godo's shirt in an attempt to hit him with a Bunsen Burner again, Godo dodged the grab and then gave a knee to Mitsukake's abdomen, causing him to double over and then unleashed his own super.

"Hassan Mujin Kyaku!" hollered Godo.

Godo then knocked Mitsukake upward with a Mujin Kyaku, but before Mitsukake could fall to the ground, Godo put his exceptional soccer skills to use and juggled Mitsukake with another one, Karin, Yumi, and Sakura all gazed wide eyed at Godo juggling Mitsukake with all those Mujin Kyakus, after the eighth Mujin Kyaku, Godo let his teacher fall to the ground. Mitsukake crashed down with a loud thud.

"You...pass," stammered Mitsukake after a failed attempt to rise.

"And now I know the fight has come to a close!" yelled Triple R.

"I know that too, and it seems the student has pulled off a big victory for all students wanting to beat up their teachers, the winner of the match is Godo Kanzuki!" announced Sue.

"Yeah, that's my man right there, I love you baby!" cooed Yumi.

"Way to go son, that's the way the Kanzukis do it, be the winner of everything!" shouted Karin who then did the Kanzuki family laugh with her son.

"Good job Godo, you did real well out there," said Sakura.

Godo then turned over to Mitsukake and helped him up to his feet.

"Hey Mr. Kagatoshi, sorry for roughing you up so bad, are you going to hold a grudge against me once school starts again?" asked Godo.

"No, don't mention it, you did what you had to in order to protect your family and the Kanzuki Zaibatsu. You've got a lot of heart, that's something no one can teach you, you're indeed a great student," gasped Mitsukake.

"Thank you Mr. Kagatoshi, you pushed me to my limits, this will indeed help me out, not only here, but for whatever else I may face in the future," chimed Godo.

"That's my job, I don't care if I lost the fight, I pushed you hard so I'm satisfied," said Mitsukake.

Godo bowed to Mitsukake as a show of respect and then the two fighters then headed back to the locker room so the next fighters could take the arena.

Author's Note: Finally, an update on this story. I love having a laptop now. Life in the Air Force is good after Basic Military Training, I'm really enjoying tech school. I hope you all enjoy this update because I'm just happy to be able to work on this story again. Thanks again to Chan for use of Mitsukake, I hope you like the moves I gave him. Next fight will be really sexy as Chela Castillo and Tomoko Nakamura go at it. So I've got to plan out that chapter. Until then, please read and review.


	30. Round One, Fight Seven

**Chapter 29: Round One, Fight Seven**

Mexico City, Mexico, time unknown

In the Castillo household, Chela's family and friends were all huddled around their TV watching the tournament knowing that Chela's fight was next.

"Paco, Teresa, why didn't you tell us that Chela had snuck off to do something like this?" inquired Chela's father Guillermo.

"Chela didn't want any press following her to the tournament, that's why she asked us not to tell anybody," answered Chela's old school chum Teresa Vargas.

"It don't matter now, I say we cheer her on, she still needs our support during this stressful time for her," added Teresa's brother Paco.

"Si, fight well mija!" shouted Chela's mother Floripa, hoping her words would reach her daughter.

Tokyo, Japan, time unknown

At the same time, the Nakamura family was also perched by their TV to watch Tomoko fight.

"Tomoko is going to win right?" asked her little brother Yoshihiro.

"I hope so, as long as she fights with honor, I'm proud of her though," responded Tomoko's father Masahiro.

"May the gods be with her in this fight," piped her mother Kotomi.

Zephyr's Island, time unknown

At that moment, Triple R and Sue had taken the center of the arena prepared to make their usual announcements of the combatants.

"Time for lucky number seven, and it seems Lady Luck loves me since this match is between two sexy females!" announced Rick.

"Yeah sure Rick, but he is right, this is the first match where both fighters are female, and I suppose a majority of men would find them as you say, hot," added Sue.

"Our first lovely lady comes from Mexico City, Mexico, she's a hit singer in her native country ready to leave her opponent singing the blues, say Ole for Chela Castillo!" shouted Triple R.

Immediately the double doors swung open with a loud creak. Chela walked out into the ring, she was wearing a orange midriff top, pink capri pants, and pink boots, making her stand out quite a bit. A lot of eyes were fixated on her as Dee Jay started shaking a pair of maracas to motivate his protege.

"And her opponent comes from Tokyo, Japan, she's a biker babe prepared to leave you in a major wreck if you cross her, show your love for the beautiful Tomoko Nakamura!" yelled Sue.

Tomoko wasted no time coming out from the double doors walking out proudly with confidence radiating from her profusely. She was clad in a black leather jacket all the way zipped up, black leather pants, and black boots. Like Chela, almost all eyes were on her as she took center stage.

"Gambatte (do your best)!" yelled E. Honda.

Tomoko and Chela took their stances just as Triple R and Sue took their spots in their announcer's table.

"Round 1, Fight!" shouted Triple R and Sue in unison.

Chela and Tomoko wasted no time rushing each other down, Chela stuck out a cross punch to Tomoko's face, Tomoko cocked her head back to avoid the fist and then drove her knee into into Chela's stomach and then flipped the Mexican singer over her head. Chela landed on her feet and then ran back at Tomoko, the Japanese biker spun around and aimed a roundhouse kick at Chela, who ducked under Tomoko's leg and then grabbed the leg before Tomoko could retract it and then Chela slammed the Japanese biker girl to the ground. Tomoko sprang up quickly and soon saw Chela running at her again.

"Dust Choker!" shouted Tomoko.

Tomoko kicked the ground hard, a cloud of dust emitted from the sole of her boot and wafted over to Chela. As the cloud enveloped Chela, the Mexican female stopped in her tracks and started gagging and coughing allowing Tomoko to rush in and land a combo on Chela sending her crashing to the ground. Chela rolled up to her feet and got back into her stance.

"Ah, and it seems Chela's prepared to get revenge for Tomoko making her choke on dust. Personally I'd like to make Tomoko choke on something," commented Triple R.

"Please Rick, enough with the perverted statements and innuendos," grumbled Sue.

"You like projectiles, let me show you one of my own chica," called out Chela.

"All right, let me see it," scoffed Tomoko.

"Max Out!" hollered Chela.

A bright red and orange line shaped projectile hurtled forth from Chela's fist and shot straight at Tomoko who hastily rolled away from it. Chela fired another Max Out, this time Tomoko pulled out the biker's chain she was wearing along the side of her hip and hastily whipped it in front of her. The steel clashed with the Max Out and it careened back at Chela, the Mexican singer quickly rolled out of the way of her own projectily to see Tomoko jumping at her. Tomoko stuck out a roundhouse kick, Chela parried the blow and then hit Tomoko with three quick jabs and then swept Tomoko off her feet, Tomoko performed and ukemi and then back fisted Chela and spun around smacking Chela across the face with a roundhouse.

"Wow, this intensity I'm seeing here between these two ladies is definitely making this a battle I'll be having dreams about for a while," announced Triple R.

"Don't say wet dreams or I'll scream," said Sue.

"Ok, I won't say it then, you're screams hurt my ears," replied Rick.

"You're one feisty girl aren't you?" inquired Chela.

"Hey, it's just part of who I am honey," taunted Tomoko.

"Ok, let me give you a sample hearing of my next hit single, "I Just Kicked Your Culo!" I hope you like it," taunted Chela.

"You ain't gonna cause this biker to crash!" shouted Tomoko as her and Chela rushed at each other again. Tomoko aimed a chop at Chela's sternum, while Chela went for a knee to Tomoko's stomach at the same time, the two traded hits and staggered away for only a brief moment before getting back in each other's faces yet again. Tomoko went for a sweep as Chela jumped directly up and smacked Tomoko in the face with a fierce punch.

"Double Rolling Sobat!" shouted Chela.

Chela bounced forward hitting Tomoko with two hard kicks across her abdominal region, the second kick knocked the Japanese girl onto her back. Tomoko hastily scrambled up a standing position to see Chela rushing at her again. Tomoko started to rush as well but as she got closer Tomoko dove down feet first and started sliding on the ground.

"Rubber Burn!" hollered Tomoko.

Tomoko slid right into Chela causing the Mexican singer to flip onto her back hard. Chela sprang up fast to see Tomoko jump at her again with a roundhouse, Chela soon reacted with her own anti-air attack.

"Jackknife Maximum!" screamed Chela.

Again Tomoko and Chela traded hits, both flew backwards and landed on their backs, both groaned in pain.

"Two hot girls on their backs, am I the only one picturing them naked right now?" asked Triple R.

"When it comes down to you and me, the answer is yes," answered Sue.

Chela and Tomoko rose to their feet at the same time and wiped the sweat off of their foreheads.

"Phew, you're fun to fight," gasped Chela.

"I could say the same about you, too bad it has to end some time," replied Tomoko.

Tomoko darted straight for Chela and threw out an uppercut, Chela spun around and grabbed Tomoko from behind by her jacket. Chela started to start hitting Tomoko on the back of her head and then also unloaded a special move on her.

"Hyper Fist!" shouted Chela.

A rapid flurry of punches smacked Tomoko across her upper body, Chela's grip on her jacket kept Tomoko from going anywhere. Thinking instinctively Tomoko unzipped her leather jacket a flung it off causing Chela to stagger and in the midst of that, Tomoko whirled around and Chela with her own special move.

"Hundred Hand Slap!" hollered Tomoko.

A flurry of hard palm strikes pelted Chela and since she had already lost her balance, Chela hit the ground as a result of the Hundred Hand Slap, Tomoko blushed a bit being that all she had on underneath her jacket was a cotton white bra. Dee Jay and E. Honda's eyes bulged out at that sight.

"Holy crap, Tomoko is performing a striptease right in the arena! My pants grow tight!" yelled Triple R.

"Not really, she only did that to escape Chela's hold on her," said Sue in an attempt to calm her obviously aroused partner.

Unbeknownst to Chela and Tomoko, Frederick, Sano, Marcos, Brock, and Godo were all peering out watching the whole fight.

"Crikey, Tomoko has some nice bazooms," gasped Brock.

"This is indeed a nice sight," commented Sano.

"I can look, I just can't touch, but I love looking," remarked Marcos.

"One of the drawbacks of being taken already," responded Frederick.

"Let's just enjoy this pleasing sight, and please keep it in your pants," suggested Godo.

The other four nodded in agreement, meanwhile, Chela was rising from the ground and then tossed Tomoko's jacket to her.

"Go ahead and put it on, I doubt you want you want to have to expose yourself more," said Chela.

"I'm comfortable with my body, just not in front of all these people," replied Tomoko.

Tomoko quickly put her jacket on and zipped it up, then her and Chela then resumed their battle. Chela stuck out a snap kick, Tomoko blocked the strike and then went for a knee to Chela, that attack was also blocked. Chela then jabbed Tomoko in the face, but Tomoko retaliated by pulling her chain out and wrapping Chela up in it.

"Overrun!" shouted Tomoko.

Tomoko slammed Chela onto the ground face first and before Chela could react, Tomoko jumped into the air and planted both her feet full force into Chela's back. Chela cried out in pain as Tomoko unwrapped her chain from around her.

"C'mon Chela, feel the rhythm and let it guide you to victory!" shouted Dee Jay.

Chela rose to her feet slowly and as Tomoko went for another shot as Chela was getting up, Chela parried the blow and hit Tomoko with two low kicks and then triggered a super move.

"Sobat Fiesta!" cried out Chela.

Tomoko was immediately decked by three consecutive Double Rolling Sobats, as Tomoko hit the ground, she slammed her fist onto the ground, and then got up. Tomoko saw Chela rush at her so she let out a Dust Choker.

"Mono Flip!" called out Chela.

Chela flipped backwards avoiding the Dust Choker this time but she didn't see what Tomoko was doing afterwards.

"Dust Asphyxiation!" bellowed Tomoko.

A larger dust cloud came out of Tomoko's boot and hurtled towards Chela who was caught up in the dusty projectile and dropped to her knees from gagging so hard, Tomoko then rushed over to the stunned Chela and unloaded a combo on her consisting of a couple jabs, three low kicks and then she finished it off with another Hundred Hand Slap.

"Ouch, and the two ladies are pulling out the big guns, not the guns I like, but still it's a great fight," announced Triple R.

"I have nothing to say to that," said Sue flatly.

"That was good, but music will overcome all, and now it's time for me to bring home a win," piped Chela as she got up.

"Yeah right, I'm gonna run you over again and again," retorted Tomoko.

Tomoko slid at Chela attempting to trip up the Mexican singer with a Rubber Burn. Chela jumped over Tomoko and then chased down the Japanese biker and before Tomoko could turn around hit her with four jabs and then unloaded another super into her.

"Maximum Max Out!" hollered Chela.

A huge reddish orange projectile smothered Tomoko blasting her with the force of eight Max Outs combined. Tomoko flew across the arena and landed face first onto the ground.

"Ya mon, that's the sweet stuff!" shouted Dee Jay.

"Tomoko, think about your family at home!" yelled E. Honda.

Tomoko slowly rose and shook her head to regain her composure and then turned around to face Chela who was getting back into Tomoko's face trying to keep the Japanese biker down. Tomoko threw Chela over her shoulder but the Mexican singer landed on her feet and threw a Max Out, Tomoko saw this as her opening to go for the win.

"Overdrive!" bellowed Tomoko.

Tomoko slid at Chela with a Rubber Burn, she went right underneath the Max Out and and smacked started smacking Chela with a series of kicks and punches, she then pulled out her chain and started whipping Chela numerous times. Tomoko then wrapped her chain around Chela again and finished off the super with yet another Overrun.

"Dios mio!" gasped Chela as she lay on the ground sore, not even trying to get up. Tomoko then unwrapped her chain from around Chela and placed it around her hip again.

"Aw it's over already, I want more," whined Triple R.

"Too bad, but it was an exhilarating match, and the winner of this fight is Tomoko Nakamura!" announced Sue.

"That was good Chela, you gave it your all," said Dee Jay.

"Dosukoi!" shouted E. Honda.

Tomoko then turned over to Chela and helped her up to her feet.

"Damn girl, you know how to get my blood boiling in a fight," commented Tomoko.

"You're gonna do a good job protecting your family from Zephyr if your as intense in your love for them like you are in fighting," gasped Chela.

"And you've proven to me and everyone here that you're more than just a pretty singer, you're gonna get a lot more respect when you get home," chimed Tomoko.

"Gracias Tomoko," said Chela.

"Not a problem, I should also say domo arigato for this fight," responded Tomoko.

Tomoko and Chela hugged each other out of respect and then the two walked back into the locker room where their friends were waiting for them along with the medics.

Author's Note: Well, how my first fight between two females? Yeah I'm trying to portray Tomoko and Chela as sexy characters that can kick ass. Well, the next fight is also between two females, so in a way Triple R will get more. The next fight is Makoto vs. Kiyomi, how will Chun-Li's adopted daughter fare against Makoto? You'll have to wait until next chapter to find out. Until then though, please read and review.


	31. Round One, Fight Eight

**Chapter 30: Round One, Fight Eight**

Zephyr's Island, time unknown

In the locker room, Makoto was stretching herself out to prepare for her fight, which was coming up very shortly. Her friend and rival, Ibuki observed Makoto's exercise silently as to not break Makoto's concentration.

"Ibuki, are you aware of the burden I have placed on me?" inquired Makoto.

"Well, I know the burden that is on everyone here, but yeah I am aware that you're trying to attract more people to the Rindoukan dojo, I say no matter the outcome, you'll attract people to the dojo, as long as you leave a good impression on people with this fight," answered Ibuki.

"Thanks for your opinion Ibuki, I'll take that into mind as I battle," stated Makoto as she halted her exercise and wiped herself down.

In another locker room, Kiyomi finished exercising as well to get herself adequately warmed up for her fight, she looked at herself in the mirror and took a deep sigh as she turned around, she saw Mel standing right behind her, Kiyomi walked over to her boyfriend and immediately gazed into his eyes.

"Mel, you're wish me good luck right," piped Kiyomi.

"Yes, I am, because I know you're up against a tough opponent with Makoto, as long as you fight well though, you'll have everyone's respect, and you'll still have mine no matter what," answered Mel.

"I'll do good for everyone," said Kiyomi.

Mel nodded and smiled at his girlfriend, the two engaged in a kiss before Kiyomi sped off to get out to the arena. Outside, Triple R and Sue were ready to announce the next fight.

"Ladies and gentlemen, remember the card game, Crazy Eights? Well, the eighth fight of this tournament is bound to be a lot crazier than some stupid card game!" quipped Triple R.

"Hey I liked that card game, but either way, he is right, fighting is a lot more adrenaline packed than cards, and our fight is once again charged with girl power!" announced Sue.

"Our first combatant comes from Kyoto, Japan. She's the sensei of the Rindoukan dojo, and she's prepared to wax you good, give it up for Makoto!" yelled Triple R.

Immediately upon hearing her name announced, Makoto burst forth from the double doors into the arena. She was clad in a gray hooded shirt with a picture of a bellflower on it, blue workout pants, and red and white sneakers. She looked into the crowed until she saw Retsu looking down at her, she turned to the old monk and bowed to him and then took her fighting stance.

"And her opponent comes from Beijing, China, she's adopted daughter of Interpol agent Chun-Li, prepared to show that her mother gave her more than just good looks, let's hear it for Kiyomi.

The double doors flung wide open once more, and young Kiyomi walked out looking straight ahead at Makoto staring her down. Kiyomi was dressed in a red sleeveless shirt with yellow trim, blue jeans, and black sneakers, she had her hair done up in buns similar to Chun-Li's, she looked up to see her adopted mother, along with Ken and Eliza cheering for her, she smiled at all of them before turning to face Makoto. Triple R and Sue had already gotten behind their announcer's desk.

"Round 1, Fight!" announced Triple R and Sue in unison.

Makoto and Kiyomi slowly inched toward each other, both locked on each other as to not be caught off guard. Kiyomi let out an attack first, sticking out a high kick to Makoto's face, Makoto arched back to avoid the kick, Makoto then ducked down and aimed a chop at Kiyomi's feet in an attempt to knock her down. Kiyomi reacted by jumping directly upwards and then planted a hard palm strike into Makoto's ribs, Makoto staggered back but then retaliated with a snap kick to Kiyomi's kneecap, dropping the Chinese female to her knees, Makoto then followed up the kick with double punch to Kiyomi's face then delivered a hard rushing punch to Kiyomi.

"Hayate!" shouted Makoto.

The rushing punch sent Kiyomi flying and she landed back first on the ground.

"Makoto is taking an early lead, as the Rindoukan sensei hopes to knock common sense into Kiyomi, eh," remarked Triple R.

"Then I think we need to have Makoto knock common sense into you," retaliated Sue.

Kiyomi quickly got up as Makoto started to rush her down, Kiyomi put her palms forward and out shot a blue energy blast that careened towards Makoto.

"Kikoken!" shouted Kiyomi.

Makoto jumped over the projectile and shot out another hard karate chop towards Kiyomi, the Chinese female took a step back to avoid the blow and then delivered a kick to Makoto's abdomen, and then followed it up with a flurry of high speed kicks.

"Hyakuretsu Kyaku!" hollered Kiyomi.

The kicks appeared as almost a blur, but they caused serious pain to Makoto as she flew backwards from the lightning fast legs that belonged to Kiyomi.

"Kiyomi's got legs, and she knows how to use them, in a fight at least," commented Triple R.

"Indeed, her adoptive mother was indeed well reknowned for her mighty legs, so it's only natural that Kiyomi would pick that up as well," added Sue.

"She was also popular for a few other things, which I shall keep my mouth shut on," snickered Triple R. Chun-Li blushed at Triple R's comment.

"That was good there, but you're still a greenhorn compared to me!" yelled Makoto.

"I'm still not a weakling, so don't treat me as if I am one!" retorted Kiyomi.

Kiyomi and Makoto rushed each other down letting the attempted strikes at each other fly at will. Kiyomi aimed a hooking right punch at Makoto who blocked the strike and aimed a hard roundhouse at Kiyomi's head, Kiyomi parried the attack and then swept Makoto knocking the Japanese woman down. Makoto perforemed an ukemi to roll back to her feet just in time to see Kiyomi jumping at her with a hard kick, Makoto thought fast and delivered at uppercut straight upwards as Kiyomi started to descend.

"Hayagake!" bellowed Makoto.

The hard fist connected with Kiyomi knocking her out of the air and onto her back. Kiyomi did her ukemi to prepare for what Makoto had in store for her, as Kiyomi looked straight ahead, she saw Makoto rushing at her with a Hayate, Kiyomi quickly spun out of the way, hooked Makoto with her forearm, spun around her again, and tossed Makoto to the ground. Makoto sprang up hastily and as Kiyomi darted towards her ready to strike, Makoto raised her open hand upwards and proceeded to bring it down hard.

"Oroshi!" hollered Makoto.

The hard karate chop cracked Kiyomi clear across the back of the head, knocking Kiyomi face first onto the ground so hard that the arena shook somewhat.

"Ouch, Makoto is making this fight shaky for Kiyomi, as well as the rest of us," chimed Triple R.

As Kiyomi got up from the hard blow to her head, Makoto aimed a kick at Kiyomi's chest, Kiyomi flipped backward to avoid the strike and then aimed a Kikoken at Makoto, the blue ki blast hit Makoto, making her reel backwards, Kiyomi then darted forward again and did a quick combo into a Hyakuretsu Kyaku, sending Makoto down to the ground yet again.

"Wow, Kiyomi is determined to make this black belt black and blue at all costs, look at that previous combo!" shouted Triple R.

"C'mon now, I can't let this rookie beat me, then I'd be a laughingstock as far as martial arts is concerned," thought Makoto to herself.

Makoto rose to her feet and took her fighting stance again, still invigorated and hoping for a victory against Kiyomi.

"Good, you're still able to fight, I'd be a little disappointed if you went down after that," said Kiyomi.

"Oh, I'm not finished yet, not by far!" responded Makoto.

Kiyomi ran forward to attack Makoto, the Chinese fighter aimed a knee at Makoto, the Japanese female parried the blow and grabbed Kiyomi and dragged her close.

"Karakusa!" screamed Makoto.

Makoto delievered a hard head butt to Kiyomi's forehead, as Kiyomi held her head in pain, Makoto grabbed her again, and tripped Kiyomi knocking her on her back. Makoto then kneeled down and drove her fist into Kiyomi's stomach causing the Chinese girl to let out a painful yelp. Kiyomi didn't stay in pain for long however as she sprang back up and flipped upside down with both legs out.

"Spinning Bird Kick!" hollered Kiyomi.

Kiyomi spun forward, pelting Makoto with eight powerful kicks. Makoto hit the ground again, she did an ukemi however and rose up fast, and shook her head to regain composure.

"Makoto, stay focused, don't allow your burden to overcome you!" called out Retsu from the stands.

Makoto nodded, then returned her attention to the fight, Kiyomi stuck out an attack, Makoto jumped back an then leapt high up into the air and clung to the wall of the arena.

"Abare Tosanami!" bellowed Makoto.

Makoto shot forth with a hard flying kick and then hit Makoto with a karate chop, then a roundhouse kick to the face that sent Kiyomi flying, and then before Kiyomi hit the ground, Makoto juggled her with a Hayagake knocking her back even further than before.

"Yow, Makoto is one mean juggler!" said Triple R.

"She's really letting Kiyomi having it, but that is understandable, a martial arts sensei isn't supposed to fall easily," replied Sue.

Kiyomi got back up slowly, Makoto jumped in towards Kiyomi and then unleashed a special attack.

"Tsurugi!" yelled Makoto.

Using her instincts Kiyomi did her own attack in an attempt to counter Makoto's sword like kick.

"Tensho Kyaku!" hollered Kiyomi.

Arcing upwards and spinning with her legs upward, Kiyomi did hit Makoto, but Makoto's attack connected with Kiyomi too and the two both hit the ground back first.

"I have to say this..." started Triple R.

"That you're picturing both of them naked right now," interrupted Sue.

"It's no fun when you ruin my comments," cried Triple R.

Makoto and Kiyomi rose at the same time, the two female warriors stared each other down again and Makoto was the one to rush this time as Kiyomi stood her ground, Makoto aimed a snap kick at Kiyomi's knees again, Kiyomi parried the attack and then unleashed a super of her own.

"Kikosho!" yelled Kiyomi.

The huge blue burst of ki enveloped Makoto and hit her multiple times, Makoto flew backwards and groaned as she hit the ground, still Makoto got back up.

"Well, I have to admit you are making us both look good, however only one will be victorious," said Makoto.

"I know that, and I'm going to fight my hardest to make sure that I am the one standing at the very end of this match," retorted Kiyomi.

"That won't happen, not if I can do anything about it!" screamed Makoto.

Kiyomi did a Spinning Bird Kick to advance towards Makoto, the Japanese woman blocked the attack and then started throwing out strikes at random to keep Kiyomi on the defensive and lock her down, eventually, one of Makoto's strikes penetrated Kiyomi's guard and Makoto began to unload onto the Chinese girl and then activated yet another super.

"Seichusen Godanzuki!" cried out Makoto.

Makoto hit Kiyomi in the stomach with a hard fierce punch, cauing Kiyomi to clutch her stomach in pain. Makoto then let loose a flurry of punches and then finished it off with one hard punch that hit Kiyomi square in the chin and sent her flying backwards. Kiyomi groaned, she still got up and wiped the blood from her lip and took her stance again.

"Kiyomi is still getting up after that, she definitely is a worthy heir to Chun-Li," gasped Triple R.

"I don't deny that Rick," added Sue.

"Still haven't got the clue yet have you, I guess I have to beat it into you more," boasted Makoto.

Makoto jumped into the air again in an attempt to finish off Kiyomi with an Abare Tosanami, Kiyomi dashed backwards to avoid Makoto's kick, Makoto whiffed the super completely and before she could recover, Kiyomi unleashed a super of her own.

"Spinning Bird Cyclone!" screamed Kiyomi.

Kiyomi did a Spinning Bird Kick and the suction from the winds the super was generating sucked Makoto inwards and Makoto was immediately pelted with sixteen hard kicks. After the kicks Makoto spun in the air and crashed to the ground.

"Impossible," gasped Makoto as she failed to rise.

"No way, the young one has made the Rindoukan sensei fall!" gasped Triple R.

"Indeed she did, so the winner of this fight is Kiyomi!" announced Sue.

"Kiyomi, you will become the strongest woman in the world!" shouted Chun-Li.

"Well done Kiyomi!" called out Ken.

"Makoto, you did your best, I'm proud of the effort you put into this," said Retsu.

Kiyomi looked over at Makoto and hoisted the defeated fighter up to her feet.

"I can't believe you won, I underestimated you Kiyomi," rasped Makoto.

"Hey that's understandable, you're the master of Rindoukan, and the way you fought, you're bound to have a lot of eager students waiting for you when you get back to Kyoto," remarked Kiyomi.

"I gave it everything I had, so I can't complain that I lost, you just do your best too, I know you'll be great," said Makoto.

"Thanks, and you continue to hold yourself to high standards, because one day I would like to have a rematch against you," replied Kiyomi.

The two fighters bowed to each other out of respect and then went through the double doors to the locker rooms in the arena.

Author's Note: Well, another chapter done, man I've been busy with tech training, so it's hard to find time to update at times with the unpredictability that the Air Force contains. But I hope you all like this chapter. Next chapter we'll be getting the testosterone flowing once again as Marcos Ortega takes on Unoka Muir. Until then however, please read and review.


	32. Round One, Fight Nine

**Chapter 31: Round One, Fight Nine**

Oakland, California, time unknown

At the Ortega household, Marcos's family along with his best friend Raul all sat in the living room eyes glued to the television, paying close attention to what was going on at Zephyr's Street Fighter tournament.

"If I read the bracket correctly, Marcos is fighting next, I know he'll do great," stated Raul.

"I hope so, I want him to bring mama home safely," chimed Marcos's younger sister Juanita.

"Marcos is tough, I have confidence in my son because I know how dangerous he can be if someone does something bad to the familia," said his father Humberto.

"Yes, I have no doubt that he'll bring Rosalinda back here where she belongs," added his grandfather Eduardo.

Nairobi, Kenya, time unknown

Back at Unoka's home, Elena lay in bed recuperating from her wounds and taking her medication. As she did that, she looked at the TV ready to watch her younger brother fight.

"Unoka, be careful, don't wind up like me out there," said Elena to herself, almost as if she were praying for her brother's safety.

Zephyr's Island, time unknown

In the locker room, Marcos Ortega was conversing with Mel, Kiyomi, and Sean about his upcoming fight.

"Well Marcos, it's time to see if the training my dad gave you will assist in your battle against Unoka," commented Mel.

"I know him and Dudley are going to be pulling for you, plus I can understand the burden you have on you to save your mother from Zephyr, just stay focused on the fight and you're gonna do great," added Kiyomi.

"Exactly, Zephyr does not know what he's gotten himself into by abducting mi mama. I'll show him just exactly why you don't piss off the Ortega familia," boasted Marcos.

"Well go out there and give your opponent hell, just remember, save all your aggression for the actual Zephyr," piped Sean.

Marcos nodded to Sean, tapped fists with all three of his friends and walked out of the locker room at around the time that Triple R and Sue stepped out to the middle of the arena.

"Well folks, we know that there are nine players in a baseball team rotation, and with the ninth match, we have enough fights to form a team of our own," remarked Triple R.

"That's true, and it's ultimate display of fists versus feet, which one is more proficient in a battle, we shall see with this match!" announced Sue.

"Our first competitor comes from Oakland, California, he's a third generation boxer from the legendary Ortega clan, and he's ready to give you a TKO with his powerful fists you know, let's hear it for Marcos Ortega!" announced Triple R.

As the double doors flew open, Marcos slowly sauntered into the ring, a hard look of determination on his face as he punched the air a couple of times to psyche himself up. Marcos was clad in a blue denim jacket, blue jeans, and black sneakers, as he looked into the crowd, he saw Dudley and his girlfriend Crystal smiling at him, Marcos raised his fist to his mentor and girlfriend and smiled back, and then turned around to face the center of the arena.

"And his opponent is from Nairobi, Kenya, he's a master of the Capoeira martial arts style looking to floor you with his deadly dances and furious feet, give it up for Unoka Muir!" cried out Sue.

The double doors into the arena opened again and Unoka started to walk into the ring, he also had the fierce look of determination adorning his dark face. Unoka was clad in a dark green poncho, white pants, and brown moccasins. He also gazed into the crowd until he saw his fiancee Aisha cheering him own, Unoka gave her a thumbs up and promptly turned back around to face Marcos. Both assumed their fighting stances and Triple R and Sue were already back at their announcer's table.

"Round 1, Fight!" announced both Triple R and Sue in unison.

Marcos and Unoka both circled each other, not taking their eyes off each other. Unoka threw out a roundhouse kick to Marcos's stomach, Marcos blocked the kick and threw a hook punch towards Unoka's face, Unoka swatted the fist away and stuck out a sweep kick in an attempt to knock Marcos off his feet, Marcos jumped straight up over Unoka's feet and stuck out a right cross punch to Unoka's chest, Unoka staggered back from the hit as Marcos dashed forward and nailed Unoka with a straight left to the face. Unoka retaliated by pegging Marcos with a snap kick to the abdomen. Marcos shook the blow off and then dashed at Unoka again spinning like a drill.

"Drill Punch!" shouted Marcos.

The hard drill like punch smacked Unoka right in his left cheek and sent the young African man crashing down to the ground.

"Wow, I wouldn't want to be drilled by the Drill Punch, Marcos just showed me that I should stop playing with my power tools," commented Triple R.

"Indeed, but Unoka isn't staying down from just that and he's back in the fray and back in Marcos's face," added Sue.

Unoka cartwheeled towards Marcos, attempting to kick him during the process, Marcos leaned back to avoid the blow, but didn't recover in time to see Unoka spinning towards him yet again.

"Spinning Moon!" screamed Unoka.

Unoka spun forward and struck Marcos with a powerful split kick, flooring the Mexican boxer. Marcos hastily did an ukemi and rolled back to his feet and rubbed his head.

"The Spinning Moon is one potent move, if you aren't careful, you could have craters all over you like the real moon," remarked Triple R.

"That was a good move there, I'm not staying down for the count though!" shouted Marcos.

"Neither am I, I'm going to avenge my sister no matter what, and you're not going to stand in my way of that!" retorted Unoka.

Marcos and Unoka dashed at each other again, Unoka aimed a kick at Marcos's side, Marcos took the hit and retaliated with a body blow causing Unoka to jump back a bit. Unoka did a handstand and hit Marcos with a foot to the face, as Unoka flipped over, Marcos ducked down and swept Unoka's feet with his fist, Unoka hit the ground, but did an ukemi to roll up to his feet faster. Unoka then flipped over again and wrapped his legs around Marcos's neck.

"Elephant Trunk!" hollered Unoka.

Unoka then flipped again, still holding his grip on Marcos, which resulted in Marcos getting slammed onto the ground back first. Marcos sprang upwards as soon as Unoka released his leg grip on the boxer. Marcos took a swing at the Kenyan fighter, Unoka jumped back, Marcos then rushed forward chasing down Unoka in an attempt to hit him.

"Toro Charge!" bellowed Marcos.

Marcos darted forward with blinding speed and aimed a straight hard punch right at Unoka's ribs, the force of the blow caused Unoka to double over. While Unoka was stunned, Marcos lit up his opponent with numerous punches and finished off his combo with another Toro Charge, Unoka hit the floor again, as he rose he rubbed his sore chest in pain.

"It seems Marcos found himself a new punching bag, I wonder how Unoka is going to fight back," said Triple R.

"He'll find a way to kick back into high gear, literally," responded Sue.

"Your punches are powerful, but you won't win without using your legs or without any rhythmic beat," called out Unoka.

"I have rhythm, but I'm here to fight, not dance, I'll make you comprehend the grace of boxing," retorted Marcos.

Unoka sped towards Marcos and aimed a kick at Marcos's chin, Marcos dodged the blow, he then aimed a left hook at Unoka, only to have his punch parried and then Unoka did a move taught to him by his older sister.

"Scratch Wheel!" yelled Unoka.

Unoka did a wheel like flip, hitting Marcos with two hard kicks across the chin in the process. Marcos flew back and hit the ground. Marcos did another ukemi and as he rose he started to bob and weave around in snake like motions, Unoka looked a little puzzled at what Marcos was doing but eventually did threw out a kick.

"Culebra Counter!" shouted Marcos.

Marcos promptly blocked Unoka's kick and rushed forward with a straight right punch that floored Unoka with force.

"Never approach a snake when it's coiled, or it will bite you, and never approach Marcos when he's trying to bait you with his Culebra Counter!" announced Triple R.

Unoka scrambled back up quickly to see Marcos rushing at him with another Toro Charge, Unoka sidestepped the blow, and before Marcos could turn around, Unoka countered Marcos's attempted strike with a special move of his own.

"Lion Pounce!" screamed Unoka.

Unoka tackled Marcos to the ground, and while the Mexican boxer was still on the ground, the Kenyan warrior hit him with two claw like strikes and then jumped off of Marcos.

"The lion is the king of the jungle, and Unoka is trying his hardest to make himself king of this fight with the Lion Pounce," announced Sue.

As Marcos got up, Unoka attempted another Elephant Trunk, Marcos grabbed Unoka's legs and threw Unoka away from him, Unoka flipped in the air to land on his feet. As Unoka landed however Marcos came at him and unleashed one of his special moves.

"Flamethrower Blow!" hollered Marcos.

Marcos's fists began to glow a bright reddish orange color as he did the Machine Gun Blow move that his mentor had taught him, but with the flame effects added due to Mel's influence on him. Unoka was lit ablaze and pelted by six rapid fire punches, and hit the ground from the sheer force of the last punch, the fire around Unoka's body extinguished as he fell down. The African man arose hastily and took his fighting pose yet again and dashed at Marcos, a flurry of fists and feet began to fly from the two warriors, Marcos and Unoka dished out many hits and also took some in the process. Unoka then grabbed Marcos with another Elephant Trunk, and as Marcos got up, Unoka jumped into the air and attempted a flying kick however Marcos prepared to counter Unoka's kick with a potent anti-air attack.

"Rocket Thruster!" shouted Marcos.

Marcos performed a Jet Upper with flame effects added to that move as well, Unoka again was lit ablaze and knocked back, the flames again fizzled out once Unoka hit the floor, Unoka shook his head once more to regain his composure.

"Someone get me a fire extinguisher, because Marcos is red hot with that Rocket Thruster!" commented Triple R.

"Unoka, focus, Elena is counting on you to avenge her!" yelled Aisha from the crowds.

"Marcos, you fight well and your fiery moves are quite painful, but I'm still not going to lose to someone that can't kick," said Unoka.

"I don't need to use my legs to beat you, I'm that good!" replied Marcos.

"We shall see about that," called out Unoka as he darted at Marcos again.

Marcos took a defensive postion as Unoka started flinging kicks at him, Marcos then threw a jab out when he saw an opening, Unoka parried the punch however and then unleashed a super move in an attempt to take Marcos down.

"Lion Maul!" bellowed Unoka.

Unoka tackled Marcos again with a Lion Pounce, this time however, Unoka went a lot crazier with a barrage of claw like strikes to Marcos's face and chest region and to top it off he then delivered a double axe handled punch to Marcos's sternum. Marcos grunted in pain as he got up to face Unoka again.

"You can do this Marcos, think about your mother waiting for you!" cried out Crystal.

Unoka threw a high roundhouse kick at Marcos, who leaned back to avoid the blow, Unoka then threw another kick, this time Marcos parried the attack and then hit Marcos with a Flamethrower Blow, but cut it off in order to use a super of his own.

"Corkscrew Drill!" shouted Marcos.

Marcos performed a Drill Punch with a lot of added force to it, spinning like a corkscrew, Marcos's super smacked Unoka numerous times and caused him to be launched back quite far.

"Damn, this match is the shit, the ultimate brawl of fists versus feet, I'm wondering which one will come out on top," commented Triple R.

"It's still anyone's match," answered Sue.

Marcos went for a Flamethrower Blow again to keep Unoka pinned, however Unoka flipped out of the way causing Marcos to whiff his attack, Unoka then wrapped his legs around Marcos's neck again as if he were doing the Elephant Trunk, but instead decided to do a super.

"Elephant Stampede!" hollered Unoka.

Unoka then did an Elephant Trunk, slamming Marcos down onto the ground, however he held his grip on Marcos this time, he then flipped again still holding onto Marcos and slamming him down on his back again. Once again, Unoka still maintained his hold on Marcos and promptly slammed him one more time, on the final slam Unoka finally let go of Marcos.

"Marcos, don't allow yourself to lose, fight with honor and dignity and win one for your familia!" shouted Dudley from the stands.

Marcos slowly rose to his feet and dusted off his denim coat, Unoka looked at Marcos confused.

"I thought you would have enough sense to stay down, you obviously love smelling my feet as they smack you across the face," remarked Unoka.

"Not really, I was taught never to throw in the towel, I won't quit that easily," retorted Marcos.

Unoka dove at Marcos with another Lion Pounce, Marcos sidestepped Unoka, and then circled over to him, and then grabbed Unoka's leg after he attempted another kick. Marcos punched Unoka hard in the stomach and then while Unoka clutched his stomach in pain Marcos brought out yet another super move.

"Clock Cleaner!" roared Marcos.

With one hand, Marcos lifted Unoka into the air and then he started to swing his other arm around like the hand of a clock. After about three swings, Marcos then stopped his arm from swinging at about a six o'clock position, and then with a enormous amount of ferocity, Marcos brought his fist up with blinding speed and hit Unoka with a powerful uppercut that made Unoka sail high into the air, and then crash hard onto the ground face first.

"No, damn!" gasped Unoka as he tried to get back up and failed to do so.

"And it's over, fists have triumphed over feet!" announced Sue.

"Yes, that means the winner of this match is Marcos Ortega!" added Triple R.

"That's my student, he's done me proud," said Dudley.

"He's somewhat my student too, he's got the heart of a warrior," chimed Ken.

Marcos turned over to Unoka and helped him back up to his feet.

"Hey Unoka, you did great, for rarely ever using your fists to strike, that was good, I have much respect for your Capoeira style," commented Marcos.

"Thanks, but now I cannot avenge my sister because I lost this fight," rasped Unoka.

"That's not true, whoever wins this tournament and fights Zephyr will be glad to help you avenge her, I know I'd be glad to, we're all going to look out for each other while we're here, count on that," replied Marcos.

"Thanks, I'm glad to know that, stay strong Marcos, I know you can go far in this touranment," said Unoka.

Marcos and Unoka then shook hands and without hesitance walked to the locker room to make way for the next combatants to come out and fight.

Author's Note: So how was that fight, a showdown of punching versus kicking. But either way, I was leaning towards Marcos in this match seeing as how he's a prospective main character. Anyways, the next match will be between Vicki Small and Datta, we'll see how a Secret Service agent stacks up against Dhalsim's son. Still, as always I ask that you please read and review.


	33. Round One, Fight Ten

**Chapter 32: Round One, Fight Ten**

Berlin, Germany, time unknown

In a house, two German females with similar builds were sitting in front of a TV watching the tournament, they were two of the former Shadaloo Dolls, Juli and Juni.

"Hey Juni, Vicki is finally going to battle, I hope that what we taught her will come in handy in this tournament," said Juli.

"I know, I would love to be able to redeem myself for all that I did while I was brainwashed, even if someone else has to do it for me," remarked Juni.

Zephyr's Island, time unknown

As the day wore on, Vicki Small impatiently paced around the locker area anxiously awaiting her match, her newfound friend, Scott Wagner just watched as Vicki walked back and forth over and over again.

"Vicki, calm down already, your match is coming up next anyways," called out Wagner.

"I know, but ever since hearing what Zephyr has done to many of the fighters here, I have to know what ulterior motives he has, this investigation is very important to me," responded Vicki.

"It's important to me too, but I know that we can get the stuff we need to find out Zephyr's intentions even if we lose, have you seen how willing the others are to help each other out?" inquired Wagner.

"I know that, but I would like to be able to do this without help," answered Vicki.

In another part of the locker area, Datta meditated deeply, reflecting on things such as what awaited him back home, his current upcoming fight, and what was running through the mind of Zephyr. He chanted mystically in Hindi until he heard Amy call his name.

"Datta, it's time for your fight with Vicki, do you feel ready?" asked Amy.

"If I wasn't ready, I wouldn't be at this tournament, so I am prepared to take on my opponent, for my family," replied Datta.

"I'll be cheering for the both of you, just be safe ok," said Amy as she threw herself into Datta's arms.

"I know Agni will watch over me, but thank you for your support Amy," said Datta.

Outside where the arena was, Triple R and Sue walked out again, making their usual go round of announcing the fights.

"Ok folks, things are normally rated on a scale of one to ten, so let's hope match number ten is a ten!" commented Triple R.

"This is our second intergender match up, a second go round in the eternal war of males versus females!" added Sue.

"Our first competitor is from Washington D.C. She's a top agent in the United States Secret Service, and she's going to use the dirt she has on you to bury you into the ground, give it up for Vicki Small!" announced Triple R.

As the double doors creaked open, Vicki walked out staying focused on the middle of the ring, she pushed her blonde hair out of her eyes as she walked. Vicki was clad in a long black dress that went past her kneecaps as well as black high heels. She looked up into the stands and saw her partner Reginald sitting near Cammy, Vicki saluted the both of her comrades, the two saluted her back, then Vicki looked over at the double doors again.

"And her opponent hails from Calcutta, India. He's the son of Yoga master Dhalsim, prepared to read your mind, mess with it, and then crush it. Show some love for Datta!" announced Sue.

The double doors didn't even open this time, Datta teleported into the arena just in front of the double doors and then started to walk over to where Vicki was. His eyes lay concentrated on his opponent, Datta was clothed in a white turban to keep his black hair out of his way, an orange vest, purple pants, and brown moccasins. His face was adorned in orange colored face paint that his father normally wore, he turned over to Dhalsim and nodded to him then fixated his gaze on Vicki yet again. Triple R and Sue were already back at their announcer's table.

"Round 1, Fight!" yelled Triple R and Sue in unison.

Vicki ran full speed at Datta wasting no time in going for the early offensive. Vicki threw out a snap kick as Datta swerved to avoid it, Datta aimed a downwards chop at Vicki's head but missed as she deftly dodged the blow. Vicki then hit Datta with a knee to the stomach, she then grabbed him by his somewhat muscular arms and flipped the Indian man over onto his back, Datta quickly rolled up to his feet to see Vicki aiming more kicks furiously at him, Datta dashed backwards to give himself some breathing room, as Vicki darted after her opponent, Datta stuck his fist out and stretching his limbs, hit Vicki from a relatively safe distance as she staggered back, Datta peformed a slide maneuver knocking the blonde Secret Service agent off her feet. Vicki hastily rose upwards as Datta threw out another punch from afar, Vicki ducked down, making the fist miss connection with her, Vicki quickly reacted by quickly forming ki into her palm.

"Patriot Disc!" shouted Vicki.

A disc shaped ki projectile hurtled forward towards Datta, smacking him across the face, Datta reeled from the projectile hit as Vicki ran forward again and swept Datta off of his feet.

"Boy the government sure doesn't waste no time taking you down if you do it wrong!" commented Triple R.

"This is why I pay my taxes on time," announced Sue.

As Datta arose, Vicki hurled another Patriot Disc at him, Datta ducked under the projectile and then as Vicki sprinted towards him, Datta reared his head back prepared to fire off his own projectile.

"Yoga Fire!" screamed Datta.

A glob of fiery ki spurt forth from Datta's mouth at as it connected with Vicki, she found herself enveloped in flames, she staggered back and groaned from the attack, the flames soon fizzled out.

"Whoa, I wonder what Datta eats to give him such hot breath," remarked Triple R.

"It's not any type of food, apparently he received his powers from the Hindu god of fire," responded Sue.

"What the hell, I'm not suffering any type of burns," gasped Vicki.

"You fight too angrily, and that will only lead you to defeat," said Datta.

"I'll show you anger!" yelled Vicki charging at Datta again.

Datta prepared for Vicki's oncoming attack, Vicki threw a hard fierce towards Datta's ribs, Datta blocked the attack and countered by sticking out a high roundhouse to Vicki's face, as the blonde fighter staggered backwards, Datta darted forward and hit Vicki with a knee to her stomach then grabbed her and threw her over his shoulders. Vicki performed an ukemi and as she got up she saw Datta diving at her spinning like a drill, Vicki took the hit but as Datta landed she grabbed the Hindu warrior and made sure her grip on him was tight.

"Wheel Driver!" hollered Vicki.

Vicki leapt high into the air spinning like a wheel, as she started to descend, she placed Datta underneath her so as they landed, she fell full force with her knees planted on Datta's back. Datta grunted in pain.

"Ooh, and Datta just got run over by Vicki's Wheel Driver, remind me never to get on the road with Vicki," announced Triple R.

"What, it's not like you're that great of a driver," said Sue.

Datta sprang upwards to his feet, Vicki growled and started her assault on Datta again, as he saw Vicki's foot fly up towards him, Datta parried the kick and then grabbed Vicki and decided to use a move of his own on her.

"Yoga Twist!" bellowed Datta.

Datta flipped over onto his back and flung Vicki into the air with his feet, she spun frantically around in the air. Datta then teleported up while Vicki was still airborne and came downward like a drill and drove his feet into Vicki's back the whole way down. Vicki cried out in pain as she hit the ground.

"Ouch, and Datta gives Vicki a taste of her own medicine, and from the looks of it, she hates it," announced Sue.

"Well of course she does, all medicine is pretty foul tasting if you think about it," retorted Triple R.

Vicki scrambled back up and as she did, she could see Datta's fist extending towards her, Vicki leaned back to avoid the hit. Vicki then ran forward again, Datta took up a defensive position, but unbeknownst to him, Vicki was preparing a surprise attack for him.

"Spiral Arrow!" yelled Vicki.

Vicki spun real low in a spiral like motion and connected feet first with Datta, knocking the Indian man off of his feet. Datta did an ukemi as he hit the ground, Vicki resumed her usual chase down of Datta, Datta reared his head back again as if to do a Yoga Fire.

"Yoga Flame!" roared Datta.

A huge ball of flame emitted from Datta's mouth, the flame caught Vicki and sent her flying backwards and on fire again. Vicki fell to the ground, the flames extinguished just as soon as she made contact with the steel covered floor.

"Wow, Vicki is hot, thanks to Datta's Yoga Flame, in fact, she's flaming!" commented Triple R.

"I do not know how to take what you just said," replied Sue.

"Damn it, stop standing in the way of government business!" shouted Vicki.

"I will not relent, I have my reasons to fight too, don't expect me to roll over and play dead," retorted Datta.

Vicki sped forward and aimed a kick at Datta's face, Datta reacted instinctively and teleported away.

"What the fuck, how did you do that?" inquired Vicki.

"Concentration of the mind is key," answered Datta.

Vicki attacked Datta again, and once more he teleported, Vicki kept attacking and Datta would avoid the blows by continuously teleporting away. Vicki began to grow frustrated as each of her attacks whiffed.

"Why don't you attack me you chicken shit!" hollered Vicki.

Vicki aimed a punch at Datta, this time he teleported behind her, as Vicki whirled around to face Datta, he nailed Vicki with a head butt straight to the forehead, Vicki held her head in pain as Datta grabbed her again and began punching her on the top of the head over and over, after about ten punches, he let her go.

"Hey Vicki, got aspirin, you're gonna need it for that massive headache," commented Sue.

Vicki got up slowly and shook her head to regain her composure, she took her battle stance again, Datta was prepared for her mad dash towards him, as Vicki began to dash however, she pulled out another special trick.

"Mach Dash!" yelled Vicki.

Vicki disappeared as she dashed forward and reappeared behind Datta, before Datta could react Vicki quickly grabbed him and performed yet another Wheel Driver. Datta hastily rolled back to his feet to see Vicki leaping at him sticking out a roundhouse.

"Yoga Blast!" shouted Datta.

Datta reared his head back and aimed a Yoga Flame upwards to catch Vicki, Vicki sailed backwards ablaze. As she hit the ground and the flames went out, she slammed her fist on the ground in frustration and then got back up.

"Let go of your anger, allow yourself to become completely focused," suggested Datta.

"Shut the fuck up, I don't need you telling me how to think!" rebuked Vicki.

Datta leapt into the air again spinning like a drill. Not one to be hesitant, Vicki quickly reacted with a special move to knock Datta out of the sky.

"Cannon Spike!" cried out Vicki.

Leaping up into the air with her leg straight out like a spike, Vicki's foot connected with Datta, the two traded hits however and both wound up sailing away from each other.

"And the two are both down, I tell you it's a hot match, and it's not the Yoga Fire talking!" shouted Triple R.

"This is an arduous task for Agent Small, that Hindu guy is really giving her a tough fight," said Reginald to Cammy.

"Indeed, but I have faith that our friend will pull through for the sake of our investigation," replied Cammy.

Vicki and Datta got up simultaneously, and both began to go for an all out projectile war.

"Patriot Disc!"

"Yoga Fire!"

"Patriot Disc"

"Yoga Fire!"

"Patriot Disc!"

"Yoga Fire!"

For a while, the battle between projectiles lasted until Vicki began to grow tired and unleashed one of her super moves to catch Datta in the midst of the projectile war.

"Flame of the Patriot!" hollered Vicki.

A large, flaming disc shaped ki projectile, shining in the colors of the American flag sped forward towards Datta, the disc completely snuffed Datta's Yoga Fire and pelted Datta numerous times with it's powerful flaming ki. Datta flew backwards and hit the ground hard but performed yet another ukemi to hasten the rate to which he got up. As Datta stood again, Vicki leapt at him sticking out a roundhouse. Datta prepared to snuff her attack with a super of his own.

"Yoga Strike!" bellowed Datta.

Datta leapt upwards and grabbed Vicki around the neck with his legs. He then brought her down fast and spun around three times, slamming her down hard on her back each time.

"That's it my son, teach Vicki the inner mysteries of Yoga!" called out Dhalsim.

Vicki hastily rose again, enraged even further at the fact that she was unable to keep Datta down. Datta dashed back and extended his foot outwards, aiming a kick at Vicki's face, she parried the attack and rushed in at Datta and tried to smack him with a punch of her own, Datta parried the blow as well and then hit Vicki with a head butt again and knocked her away with a Yoga Flame.

"That's it, I'm going to stop being all reserved and shit and take your ass down bastard!" screamed Vicki.

"Do not attempt it, you will only fail in your clouded state of mind," stated Datta.

"Governement Regulation!" shouted Vicki.

Vicki dashed forward with blinding speed and grabbed Datta, as she did so, she smacked the Indian warrior with a flurry of punches and kicks, after the initial onslaught, she grabbed Datta again and hit him with two Wheel Drivers consecutively. However, much to Vicki's dismay, Datta rose again, she growled in frustration.

"What the fuck, why can't you let me do my damn job you fucker?" asked Vicki furiously.

"Because you won't be able to perform it right, you aren't thinking clearly now," answered Datta.

"Shut up, Flame of the Patriot!" yelled Vicki.

Vicki let loose another flame covered ki disc. Datta dodged the projectile by teleporting away from it, he reappeared behind Vicki. He then grabbed Vicki for a super of his own.

"Yoga Bonfire!" shouted Datta.

Datta flipped onto his back again and kicked Vicki into the air again, Datta then spit numerous Yoga Fires at the airborne Vicki. Each of the Yoga Fires connected with the blonde Secret Service agent, as Vicki descended, Datta spurt forth a Yoga Flame for the finish of the super, Vicki hit the ground hard, and the flames fizzled out as she touched down.

"Why did I fail," gasped Vicki as she fell down after an attempt to arise again.

"And the match is over, the Secret Service failed to complete it's mission!" shouted Triple R.

"And the winner of this match is Datta!" added Sue.

Datta looked over at his father and nodded to him again, Dhalsim smiled at his son and nodded back at him.

"Well done, you truly are a worthy successor to the powers that Agni has bestowed upon you," said Dhalsim.

Datta then teleported over to Vicki and helped her up to her feet.

"Why are you helping me up, don't you know how much I hate to be helped?" inquired Vicki.

"Of course I do, I can read your mind. You're very preoccupied with an investigation on Zephyr, but you know what, since I am responsible for making your task even more arduous, I shall help you," answered Datta.

"Really, you'd assist me and my team in this?" asked Vicki.

"Yes, like your friend Wagner said, we're all going to look out for each other while we are in this situation. We cannot allow Zephyr to win, and the only way that we will be successful is to help each other," responded Datta.

"All right, thank you Datta," rasped Vicki.

"You're welcome," replied Datta.

Datta teleported him and Vicki back into the locker room to allow himself and her to receive medical attention and to make way for the next battle.

Author's Note: Well, another fight down, I hope you all liked it, hopefully Dhalsim fans will be pleased, as well as Cammy fans even though Vicki lost the fight. Well next battle will be a treat for my buddy DeNice as Ibuki fights his original character Yin Lee. How that battle will play out you will have to wait for the next chapter to see. Until then however, please read and review.


	34. Round One, Fight Eleven

**Chapter 33: Round One, Fight Eleven**

Zephyr's Island, time unknown

Yin Lee had just finished getting changed into her fighting attire, knowing that her match was coming up soon. As she buttoned the last button on her shirt. A knock on her door was heard.

"Yin, are you done getting dressed yet?" inquired Yang's voice from the other side of the door.

"Yeah I'm done, you guys can come in now," answered Yin.

Immediately, Yun, Yang, and Quock entered Yin's locker room and sat down on a bench next to her.

"Yin, you are aware that Ibuki is a formidable opponent, I'm sure she's improved her ninja skills drastically since the last tournament," spoke Yun.

"How ironic, you're telling Yin to take Ibuki seriously when you lost your match for not taking Sean seriously," laughed Yang.

"Yeah, it is, but it's good that he doesn't want his sister making the same mistakes he did," added Quock.

"Well, I am aware of Ibuki's skills, I'll take caution against them, after all, we need to win in order to protect our village from Zephyr's wrath. We can't allow him to attack it after Gill said he would spare it," commented Yin.

"Indeed, make us proud my sister," said Yang.

Elsewhere, Ibuki was making her way down to the entrance to the ring where she saw Sean chilling in the hallway, she stopped and immediately went to talk to him.

"Hey Sean, what are you doing out here?" questioned Ibuki.

"Well, I knew your match was next, so I came out here to wish you good luck," answered Sean.

"Aw, thanks, that's real sweet of you to do that for me," cooed Ibuki.

"Well, you know, I do like you Ibuki," replied Sean.

Ibuki blushed at what Sean said, but she immediately hugged the Brazilian warrior and gave him a peck on the cheek before heading off to the arena.

"I think she likes me too," thought Sean to himself.

Outside in the ring, Triple R and Sue had come out to announce the next matchup.

"Well folks, we've reached the eleventh match, which I hope to give this match, even on a scale of 1 to 10, especially since it's another match between two hot women!" announced Triple R.

"I swear Rick, you're hornier than my bulldog. Anyways, this should be an exciting match as another of the Lee siblings takes on a ninja!" announced Sue.

"Our first opponent is a popular fashion designer from Kyoto, Japan. She's also quite possibly the world's sexiest ninja ever who's going to strike hard and fade away without a trace, show your love for the lovely Ibuki!" yelled Triple R.

The double doors swung open and Ibuki leapt into the ring still dressed in her casual attire which consisted of a white sleeveless shirt, red pants, and black sandals, she threw a smoke bomb down and as the smoke cleared, she was clad in her fighting garb which consisted of a bluish-purple ninja robe that showed a hint of cleavage, she had a pink sash tied around her robe, and was also wearing black pants and shoes with her outfit. She threw her bag full of her casual gear into the locker area and took her fighting position in the ring.

"And her opponent comes from Hong Kong. She's the youngest of the Lee siblings, and a damn good cook if I do say so myself ready to give you more than just indigestion. Let's hear it for Yin Lee!" shouted Sue.

Again the doors opened and Yin walked out into the ring without the flash that Ibuki had. Yin had a hard look of determination in her eyes as she glared the female ninja down. Yin was clothed in a gold colored sleeveless button down shirt, black Kung Fu pants and shoes. Yin and Ibuki bowed to each other and then took their battle stances as Triple R and Sue got back to their announcer's table.

"Round 1, Fight!" yelled Triple R and Sue in unison.

Ibuki leapt at Yin and then performed a flying kick, Yin flipped out of the way and then rushed in and aimed a open palm strike at Ibuki. Ibuki hastily blocked the attack, ducked down, and swept Yin's leg from underneath her causing the young Chinese girl to fall onto her back. Yin rolled to her feet and then dashed at Ibuki again, aiming a knee at the ninja's solar plexus, the knee connected and Ibuki doubled over and Yin flipped over Ibuki's shoulders and then kicked her in the back causing Ibuki to fall face first onto the ground.

"Ouch, and these two girls aren't afraid to get down and dirty, I really like that," announced Triple R.

"Are you already using stupid innuendo, damn," grumbled Sue.

Ibuki sprang back up to her feet and leapt at Yin and while in mid-air threw out a small dagger at Yin, Yin dodged the attack but didn't see Ibuki land behind her and was pelted by a combination of attacks followed by one of Ibuki's special moves.

"Kazekiri!" yelled Ibuki

Yin was immediately knocked upwards by a high upwards kick from Ibuki. Yin landed hard on her back but performed another ukemi to get back to her feet. Ibuki then rushed down Yin, however Yin performed a move to give her some breathing room.

"Gen'ei Senkou!" shouted Yin.

Yin dashed away and disappeared and then reappeared quite far away from Ibuki, Ibuki leapt at Yin again and threw another Kunai. Yin responded by flipping away and then as Ibuki rushed her down again, Yin did another Gen'ei Senkou forward and then wound up behind Ibuki. As the Japanese female whirled around to face her Chinese opponent. Yin performed another special move.

"Shuuraizan!" screamed Yin.

Yin dashed forward and struck Ibuki with a horizontal strike in the chest as a wave of energy emitted from Yin's arm and caused Ibuki to fly back, as she hit the ground Ibuki did her own ukemi and saw Yin leaping at her. Ibuki did another Kazekiri that knocked Yin out of the sky.

"Wow, Ibuki sure shows off her ninja skills beautifully. I think I'm in love with a ninja babe," commented Triple R.

"I think she's out of your league Rick, so please keep your libido in check," commented Sue.

"Hmm, I knew you were a worthy fighter, you're going to be quite a challenge," said Yin.

"I am Shinobi, I'm supposed to give you a hard time," remarked Ibuki.

"Well let's see what else you got ninja girl," taunted Yin.

"Sure, I've got plenty more to give you, I hope you can handle it all," retorted Ibuki.

Ibuki and Yin dashed at each other, Ibuki threw a hard punch at Yin's face, Yin parried the attack and then Yin aimed a palm strike at Ibuki's chest, that strike was parried as well and then Ibuki aimed a roundhouse at Yin's face which connected perfectly. Yin staggered backwards and then Ibuki grabbed the Chinese female and threw her over her shoulders. Yin grunted as she hit the ground, but she quickly rose again and was back in Ibuki's face. Ibuki dodged another attempted blow from Yin and performed a special move of her own.

"Tanooki Tail!" hollered Ibuki.

Ibuki flipped onto her hands, grabbed Yin with her legs, and then flipped up and supported all her weight onto Yin's shoulders, punched her on the head five times and then flipped over Yin's shoulders and slammed Yin down onto the ground with her legs. Yin rose slowly and then did a Gen'ei Senkou to get away from Ibuki. The female ninja however followed suit and leapt into the air throwing another Kunai, Yin parried the dagger and reacted with a move to knock her opponent out of the air.

"Senkyutai!" bellowed Yin.

Emulating her older brother Yang, Yin did an upwards kick that met Ibuki in the air and hit the Japanese female square in the chin. Ibuki fell down to the ground hard on her back. Ibuki performed an ukemi to get back to her feet quicker and then jumped up and prepared herself to face Yin again.

"And these two ladies are really heating up this match. I'm hot under the collar from this, and feeling hot in other places too," commented Triple R.

"And you're making me hot tempered right now Rick," added Sue.

Yin rushed at Ibuki and tried to hit her with a Shuurai Zan, Ibuki parried the attack and then unleashed another move of her own to counteract Yin's previous strike attempt.

"Tsumuji!" shouted Ibuki.

Ibuki spun at Yin and smacked her with three hard kicks to the midsection, the third one floored Yin. Wasting no time getting back up, Yin retaliated by kicking Ibuki away and then as Ibuki reeled back from Yin's kick, she saw Yin rushing her down again with another move.

"Shirotora Atemi!" hollered Yin.

Yin dashed at Ibuki shoulder first with a lot of force and as she got within striking distance she decked Ibuki with a powerful palm strike to the face knocking Ibuki to the ground again.

"Hmm, Ibuki on her back, I'm definitely picturing..." said Triple R.

"Don't even say it Rick, I already know what you're going to say so shut up!" yelled Sue, abruptly cutting Triple R off.

To give herself more breathing room, Yin did a Gen'ei Senkou away from Ibuki before she could get up. Ibuki grunted as she rose and shook her head before going after Yin again.

"Hien!" shouted Ibuki.

Ibuki leapt high into the air with lightning speed, before Yin could react, Ibuki smacked her with two powerful downwards kicks, the second kick knocked Yin down as Ibuki flipped off of the Chinese female while still in mid-air.

"Phew, I guess I better get a little more serious," said Yin.

"Yeah, you better if you want to stand a chance against me. Then again, you wouldn't stand a chance no matter how serious you take me," retorted Ibuki.

"Yeah sure, we'll see about that now shall we," responded Yin.

Ibuki and Yin rushed each other down again and then started to go blow for blow against each other. Yin delivered a hard punch to Ibuki's stomach, but Ibuki retaliated with a hard roundhouse to the face, Yin then smacked Ibuki with a snap kick and then used a special move to add extra pain to Ibuki.

"Ensiken!" bellowed Yin.

Yin clocked Ibuki with a elbow punch to the face, stunning the female ninja. While Ibuki stood stunned, Yin turned her back to her and then struck her Japanese opponent with a fist to the face and then rammed her shoulder right into Ibuki knocking her down.

"Hey, easy on that ninja's pretty face!" yelled Triple R.

"Rick, it's a fight, not a modeling contest, and face shots are perfectly legal in this tournament," remarked Sue.

Ibuki sprang up again and then as Yin rushed at her, Ibuki also did a rush down real low to the ground. Yin looked a little puzzled as to what Ibuki was doing.

"Kubi Ori!" screamed Ibuki.

Ibuki jumped onto Yin's shoulders and twisted Yin's neck hard causing Yin to spiral in the air and fall down. Yin did an ukemi and got back up and decided that the time was right to unleash a super move.

"Kaichou Uneri!" roared Yin.

Yin moved in with a Gen'ei Senkou winding up right in Ibuki's face and then started unleashing a barrage of Shuurai Zans so quickly that Ibuki couldn't defend herself against them, Ibuki was pelted by countless Shuurai Zans and at the end of it all, Yin hit Ibuki with a palm to the chest, knocking the female ninja on her back again.

"Damn, that hurt, I need to come up with something fast," grumbled Ibuki to herself.

Ibuki rose up as Yin dashed away, Ibuki leapt into the air, Yin acted by doing a Senkyutai but didn't see the super that Ibuki was about to perform coming.

"Kasumi Suzaku!" shouted Ibuki.

Ibuki threw a barrage of Kunais at Yin, the blunt daggers pelted Yin while she was still airborne and sent the Chinese female crashing to the ground.

"Wow, with all those daggers hitting Yin, I'm sure she gets the point to stay down before she gets hurt even more," commented Triple R.

"Wrong Rick, I see Yin getting up now, don't count her out yet!" announced Sue.

"You got guts girl, I commend you for that, but there's no way you're going to take out a master ninja," taunted Ibuki.

"I'm still on my feet ain't I, you haven't won yet," retorted Yin.

"Well then, I'll fix that right now," replied Ibuki.

Ibuki dashed at Yin and got in her face, Yin aimed a palm strike at Ibuki, the attack was parried and Ibuki unleashed another super in an attempt to go for the win.

"Yoroi Doushi!" hollered Ibuki.

Ibuki grabbed Yin and held her arm up and with her other arm, Ibuki unleashed a burst of ki right into Yin's body sending her flying back a long distance. Yin cried out in pain as she hit the ground, but surprisingly, rose again.

"Damn, you're resilient. A real thorn in my ass," remarked Ibuki.

"Thank you, I'm glad I could be that," said Yin jokingly.

Ibuki rushed in again to attempt the Yoroi Doushi, however when she went for it, Yin was the first to unleash a super just as Ibuki appeared in front of her.

"Sourai Shuurai!" screamed Yin.

Without hesitance, Yin unleashed a Shuurai Zan with intensity of five Shuurai Zans right into Ibuki, knocking the female ninja upwards. While Ibuki was still airborne however, Yin jumped upwards and hit Ibuki with a downwards Shuurai Zan sending Ibuki crashing to the floor below.

"Crap, this sucks," gasped Ibuki who fell down after attempting to get back to her feet.

"Oh, and Ibuki is unable to continue, so that means the winner of this match is Yin Lee!" announced Sue.

"And every man is a winner for watching this match between two hotties!" added Triple R. Sue just shook her head in disgust.

Yin raised her fist to the sky as the crowd applauded. After about a minute, Yin turned to Ibuki and helped her back up to her feet.

"Phew, Ibuki, I thought you had me there a couple of times, good match," commented Yin.

"Thanks, you've really gotten strong, I hope we get to fight again sometime in the future, but it sucks that my mission won't be completed since I lost," rasped Ibuki.

"Not true, I'll give you a hand in this, I feel I owe you that much for giving me a challenge," piped Yin.

"That's real nice of you, you're a good friend Yin," said Ibuki.

"Yes, that I am, let's go Ibuki, my friend," suggested Yin.

Ibuki nodded in agreement and her and Yin departed the ring to allow the next fight to take place.

Author's Note: Well, that's another fight, I hope you like this match DeNice, and I hope I portrayed Yin correctly in this fight. Next match will be between Isabella DiMarino and Oblique. Who will win out of the fight between a woman possessed by Rose's soul and a mutant, wait and see. Until then though, please read and review.


	35. Round One, Fight Twelve

**Chapter 34: Round One, Fight Twelve**

Genoa, Italy, time unknown

In a local pizzeria, Isabella's fiance, Giovanni Leone was watching the TV hanging from the corner of the easternmost wall in his pizzeria as he kneaded dough, he looked on anxiously knowing his future wife was up to fight next.

"I sure hope that Rose's soul can help keep Isabella from getting killed there, be safe out there my love," said Giovanni to himself.

Moscow, Russia, time unknown

In St. Basil's Cathedral, the pastor known as Vladimir prayed for the mutant he knew as Oblique, he had heard that the renegade mutant's fight was about to get underway and Vladimir was concerned about him knowing that he had been taking care of him for quite a while.

"Gyorgy, I hope you find what it is that will set your soul free while you fight," prayed Vladimir.

Zephyr's Island, time unknown

"Isabella, the time where we discover the full truth on Zephyr draws nearer, our first match is merely a hurdle that we must overcome, I shall guide you as much as I can through this trial," spoke Rose's soul through Isabella's body.

"I am sure that what we uncover will be disturbing but I am ready to take this task head on Rose," replied Isabella.

"Good, you be careful out there," said Rose.

Outside in the arena, Triple R and Sue were again in the middle of the ring preparing to announce the upcoming fight.

"Okay folks, we now have a dirty dozen of fights with this upcoming battle, but I'm sure it will be a clean fight, I hope!" announced Triple R.

"Indeed, for our next match is another intergender match of sorts as the fiancee of a pizza chef fights a mutated warrior," added Sue.

"Our first competitor hails from Genoa, Italy, she loves those pizza chefs, but she loves turning her opponents into tomato sauce even more, let's hear some applause for Isabella DiMarino!" announced Triple R.

The double doors flew open with a lot of force, as Isabella sauntered threw the doors, the Italian female was clad in a lavender dress with a blue scarf and blue leggings along with lavender high heels. Isabella looked into the crowd trying to absorb her surroundings before turning to face the double doors and waited patiently for her opponent to be announced.

"And her opponent is from Moscow, Russia, he's here to show you that not all the creatures you see in monster movies are fake and you will fear his monstrous fighting skills. Give it up for Oblique!" shouted Sue.

Again, the double doors opened swiftly and Oblique cautiously walked out into the arena, looking around the whole thing, the crowed just gazed on at the mutant who was clad in bright purple pants and purple shoes. As he got to the center of the arena, he gazed menacingly at Isabella with his yellow eyes. Necro and Effie both applauded for their friend as he took his combat pose. Triple R and Sue were already at their announcer's table ready to start the battle.

"Round 1, Fight!" yelled Triple R and Sue in unison.

Oblique wasted no time in attacking, he leapt at Isabella and tried to slash the blue haired female with his sharp claws. Isabella dashed backward barely missing Oblique's claw. The mutant growled as he darted towards Isabella again and aimed another claw strike at Isabella's stomach. Isabella dodged the blow and stuck her high heel into the Russian mutant's gut, Oblique staggered back and clutched his stomach as Isabella rushed in and swept him off of his feet. Oblique performed his ukemi to get back up to his feet quicker and then he ran at Isabella again, Isabella threw out a punch to try and halt Oblique's dash, Oblique however parried the blow and then slashed Isabella with his claw and then flipped the Italian woman over his shoulders and knocked right onto her back.

"I tell you this comrade, that Oblique is trying to make borscht out of Isabella!" announced Triple R.

"What the hell is borscht?" asked Sue.

"Some type of chilled soup made with tomatoes or beets, or some type of vegetable, I don't know, it sounds Russian to me so that's why I made a reference to it," answered Triple R.

Isabella sprang back up and saw Oblique lunging forward in an attempt to strike Isabella again, thinking quickly she fired off one of her special attacks.

"Soul Spark!" shouted Isabella.

A surge of energy emitted from Isabella's palms and flew forward smacking Oblique square in the face and knocked him back a bit.

"Mama mia, that Soul Spark packs quite a punch, it's bound to send surges all the way down to your soul!" announced Triple R.

Oblique growled again and then decided to unleash his own projectile at Isabella.

"Muck Spit!" yelled Oblique.

A glowing green glob of toxic looking muck hurtled forth from Oblique's mouth, Isabella dodged the projectile, as it hit the ground, the sound of hissing could be heard as the muck started to fizzle away.

"D-D-Don't stand in my way, I must...find the cure f-f-for my...mutation!" shouted Oblique.

"Open up to me Oblique, I can help you out troubled one," said Isabella.

"The only w-w-way you can...help me is to let m-m-me win...this fight," responded Oblique.

Isabella and Oblique rushed each other down, Isabella decked Oblique with a hard fist to the face, but Oblique retaliated with a knee to the stomach, he then slashed Isabella again and then swept her, however, Isabella did an ukemi of her own and then as she got up she saw Oblique try to slash her again, however Isabella transferred some energy into her scarf and whipped the fiery red haired mutant with the garment, Oblique hit the ground hard. As he got up he saw Isabella leap at him and extend her foot out for a kick, Oblique reacted by pulling out an anti-air attack.

"Mad Claw!" hollered Oblique

Oblique leapt upwards with a double fisted uppercut as he descended he hit Isabella with a double axe handle punch sending the Italian female crashing to the ground.

"Wow, if that's the Mad Claw, I'd hate to see Oblique when you really piss him off!" commented Triple R.

"Well knowing him, I'm surprised you haven't pissed anyone off with your asinine comments," remarked Sue

As Isabella rose, Oblique leapt into the air with aiming to slash Isabella with his claws yet again, Isabella leapt up into the air as well and grabbed the mutant while they were both airborne.

"Soul Throw!" bellowed Isabella.

Blue flames enveloped Oblique as he hurtled towards the ground. Right when he crashed down, the flames fizzled out and Oblique sprang back up and shook his head to regain his composure. Oblique unleashed another Muck Spit to keep Isabella at bay, however Isabella nullifed the toxic glob with a Soul Spark and then rushed down the mutant again, Oblique slashed the woman across her face and then delivered a hard foot to Isabella's chest and then hit Isabella with another Mad Claw. Isabella did another ukemi and then as Oblique darted at her, she nailed the mutant with a snap kick to the sternum and then smacked him with a couple of jabs and afterwards knocked Oblique backwards with a Soul Spark.

"I'm gonna start eating more pizza simply because I'm afraid that if I don't Isabella will beat me as badly as she's beating Oblique," said Triple R.

"Like you don't eat enough already, you reek of pepperoni right now," retorted Sue.

"Gyorgy, calm down, we'll find a way to help you out," stated Isabella.

"What, h-h-how the hell do...you know my r-r-real name?" inquired Oblique.

"It's quite a story, but I can read your mind," answered Isabella.

"Well stay out of it, it's n-n-not a p-p-place...for you!" hollered Oblique.

Oblique darted forward real low to the ground then grabbed Isabella by the ankles, and then latched himself onto the Italian female's body.

"Shark Bite!"screamed Oblique.

The Russian mutant then proceeded to sink his teeth into Isabella, biting her all over her body and then after he was down he kicked her down to the ground.

"Well, I guess could picture Oblique imitating a shark, he dows somewhat look like one with that pale skin and those teeth of his," commented Triple R.

"And if you were an animal, you'd be a pig," teased Sue.

Isabella rose up quickly and then saw Oblique launch another Muck Spit at her, Isabella reacted instinctively and pulled her scarf out and then channeled her energy into it once again.

"Soul Reflect!" yelled Isabella.

Whipping her scarf out in front of her, Isabella hit Oblique's projectile and sent the Muck Spit right back at the mutant. Seeing his own attack hurtle back at him, Oblique dove out of the way to avoid feeling the pain of his own attack. As he recovered from diving out of the way, Isabella pelted Oblique with a combo of kicks and punches and then launched Oblique away from her with by using Soul Reflect to whip the mutant. Oblique got up and again after regaining his composure he darted forward at Isabella again, Isabella was prepared to launch an attack at the Russian fighter however she didn't expect what Oblique was about to use to counter Isabella's attempt to strike him.

"Mutant Ball!" roared Oblique.

Oblique rolled himself up into a ball and then hurtled himself forward and decked Isabella in her upper body region causing her to reel back. Oblique then chased the Italian warrior down and then lit her up with a combo of his own consiting of many of his own kicks, punches, and slashes and then he finished it up with a Shark Bite.

"Phew, this match is going back and forth, I'm a hard time deciding who will be the victor of this match," gasped Triple R.

"Uh Rick, we don't decide who wins, it's the fighters that ultimately decide that because we're not the ones acutally doing the fighting," said Sue.

"I get it, you don't have to get all technical with me now Sue, I understand," retorted Triple R.

Isabella and Oblique again rushed each other down again, attacks flew out furiously from the both of them, they matched each other blow for blow, every time that Isabella landed a hit, Oblique would land one almost immediately afterwards. Oblique then threw a punch out towards Isabella's face but it was promptly parried and then Isabella rushed forward with her fist wrapped in her scarf, more soul energy surged through her fist and the scarf.

"Soul Spiral!" shouted Isabella.

Oblique was hit three times and once again enveloped in blue flames. The mutant flew back about eight feet and as he hit the ground, the flames fizzled out. Oblique scrambled up to his feet quickly and then afterwards took his fighting stance.

"You know Oblique, you fight with a lot of passion, I understand why, allow us to be here for you," spoke Isabella.

"I appreciate your k-k-kindness, but...I still have to d-d-defeat you, it's business, I hope...you understand," rasped Oblique.

"I see that you have a fighting spirit just as strong as everyone here, but you need to know when you let yourself give in," replied Isabella.

"I know when to give in, right now is not th-th-that time," growled Oblique.

Oblique rolled at Isabella again with another Mutant Ball, Isabella tried to counter with a Soul Spiral, the two warriors wound up trading hits and both flew backwards and landed hard on their backs.

"Whew, quite a big chain reaction, I'm hanging on to the edge of my seat watching this match!" announced Triple R.

"I can't count how many times you've brought me to the edge of insanity, but then I realize that you're not a bad guy, just not too bright," said Sue to Triple R.

"Isabella, you've put me to quite a t-t-tough test, but I...must end this match now, no offense," said Oblique.

"Then I shall attempt to do the same in my favor however though," remarked Isabella.

"Here we go, Muck Vomit!" shouted Oblique.

The mutated Russian warrior began to retch a bit, and after a while, a huge flow of toxic muck spewed foward from Oblique's mouth, the glowing green projectile vomit covered Isabella and started to burn her, Isabella cried out in pain as she tried to shake the muck off of her.

"Yuck, that's a messy super, Oblique must have had one really bad hangover, I wonder what he drank the previous night," commented Triple R.

"I don't think that's from alcohol, but still, it's a disgusting super move," commented Sue.

After some thinking, Isabella channeled her ki into a barrier that allowed the muck to dissipate from her body and after all toxic goo was removed from Isabella's body the burning stopped as well. The aura then disappeared from Isabella's body.

"That was quite painful, but not enough to keep me down, now it's my turn here we go!" shouted Isabella.

Oblique spit more muck at Isabella, but didn't see the Italian combatant's super coming for him

"Aura Soul Spark!" cried out Isabella.

Isabella's super projectile plowed through Oblique's projectile and nailed Oblique six times igniting him with the blue fire again as he hit the ground again. Once more the flames fizzled out upon contact with the ground.

"Illia, that woman is really putting Gyorgy through a tough situation," cried out Effie to Necro.

"I know Effie, but Gyorgy is strong, plus that woman aims to help him out too, she's got a good heart, and that's not just because of the other soul inside her, she cares for Gyorgy and sympathizes with his pain," replied Necro.

"D-D-Damn it, I'm going all...out now, Mutant Rage!" yelled Oblique.

Oblique dashed forward and with lightning speed, hit Isabella with powerful flurry of kicks, punches, and slashes from his claws. The combo seemed to string forever for Isabella, but eventully Oblique capped off his super with a Mad Claw. Isabella groaned as she hit the ground.

"Now s-s-stay down!" warned Oblique.

"I'm sorry but I cannot do that, forgive me," replied Isabella as she rose from the super move.

Oblique growled again and tried to slash Isabella again but his attack was parried and Isabella started to lay into Oblique with a combo of her own and decided to unload a super into Oblique.

"Aura Soul Throw!" yelled Isabella.

Isabella rushed forward with a Soul Spiral, then knocked Oblique upwards with a powerful uppercut, and while Oblique was still airborne, Isabella leapt upwards and caught the mutant in a Soul Throw. Oblique hit the ground hard and groaned in pain.

"C-C-Curses," rasped Oblique as he fell to the ground after he tried to get up.

"And the mutant goes down despite a powerful showing from him, so that means the winner is Isabella DiMarino!" announced Sue.

"And now I'm going to order a pizza!" added Triple R.

Isabella turned to Oblique and helped him to his feet right after she was announced the winner of the fight.

"Oblique, I sense unrest in you, you're disappointed are you not?" questioned Isabella.

"Yes, I'm s-s-sad because now...I cannot obtain the cure for me...and m-m-my friends' mutations," answered Oblique.

"Not true, we'll do what we can to make sure that you and your friends, Necro and Effie regain their humanity, all of us," reassured Isabella.

"Are y-y-you sure I can trust you?" asked Oblique.

"We didn't ridicule you on the boat ride when you asked us not to, we respect you Oblique, you can trust us," answered Isabella.

"I c-c-can tell your...words are genuine. Ok, I place my f-f-faith...in you," responded Oblique.

Isabella gave the mutant a hug and then escorted him back to the locker room area so the next fight could take place.

Author's Note: Well here's another match, I hope it turned out okay. It's been a while for this update since I'm trying to find a good place to get wireless service on my current base. Anyways, next fight will be between Brock Irvine and Pietro Omakovski. Will surfing or hockey prevail in the next match? You'll find out then, until then however, please read and review.


	36. Round One, Fight Thirteen

**Chapter 35: Round One, Fight Thirteen**

Zephyr's Island, early evening

The sun was starting to go down on Zephyr's mysterious island and the first round of the tournament was three quarters of the way done. In the locker room, Brock Irvine tied his red headband tight around his forehead and cracked his neck before turning to the door to head out to the arena.

"Hang in there Paul my friend, I'm going to release you from Zephyr's dungeon soon, just wait for me buddy," thought Brock to himself.

As Brock walked towards the arena, he saw Makoto wave over to him, Brock turned over to her in order to hear what she had to say.

"Hey Brock, I want you to smack Pietro good, he needs to have his ego deflated seriously," said Makoto.

"Pietro may be a dick, but I'm not even going to trip about it, I'll show him myself that surfing is not a sissy sport, but hey, we need intense fighters like him though in order to stand a chance against Zephyr," replied Brock.

"You may be right about that, but still, kick his ego down a few notches anyways, that way he's not as annoying," suggested Makoto.

"Sure, I'll do it for you if that's what you want," responded Brock.

The two fighters shook hands and then Brock continued to walk towards the double doors to the arena. Out in the middle of the ring, Triple R and Sue were perched out in center ready to announce the next fight.

"Well folks, you know they say that thirteen is an unlucky number, I say that's bullshit, because I think we're all going to be lucky to witness good fights like this upcoming one," commented Triple R.

"Indeed, and it's a sports showdown this time as a pro surfer takes on a professional hockey player, we'll see which sport has the better fighter now," added Sue.

"Our first competitor comes from Sydney, Australia, he's an excellent surfer and a bodacious martial artist, ready to make his opponents totally wipe out. So everyone say cowabunga for Brock Irvine!" announced Triple R.

The double doors flew open and Brock stepped out into the ring tall and proud. The Muay Thai trained surfer was clad in a red headband, a white tank top, and green surfing shorts. As he got to the center of the ring, he looked over into the crowd and saw his mentor Sagat nod to him, Brock promptly gave his master a thumbs up and turned to face the double doors immediately afterwards.

"And his opponent is from Toronto, Canada, he's the bad boy of hockey known as the Angry Moose and he has know qualms about going to the penalty box for kicking your ass, give it up for Pietro Omakovski!" announced Sue.

The double doors swung open again and Pietro walked out to the ring yelling and whooping loudly, making quite a spectacle of himself. Pietro was clothed in a yellow hockey jersey, black pants and yellow shoes. He also had a black satchel tied around his body which he used to carry his hockey stick in. He flipped the whole crowd the middle finger making everyone just shake their head in disbelief. As he saw Remy, he gave his French friend a thumbs up and then turned to face Brock as Triple R and Sue ran back to their announcers table.

"Round 1, Fight!" yelled Triple R and Sue in unison.

"This should be a piece of cake eh," boasted Pietro.

"Don't underestimate me mate," replied Brock in a warning tone.

"Aw what's the matter there buddy, got sand in your ass crack?" asked Pietro in a mocking tone.

"Shut up with the stupid insults and fight me already," answered Brock.

Pietro shrugged and then rushed Brock down and threw out a left hook, Brock blocked the blow and threw out a swift kick to Pietro's side, Pietro jumped a bit from the shock the kick sent down his body, but then stuck out a boot to Brock's stomach only to have that strike blocked as well. Brock then threw out a straight punch to the Canadian hockey star's face, however Pietro ducked and let loose a sweep kick knocking the Australian surfer off of his feet, Brock quickly did an ukemi and saw Pietro dash at him again, Pietro went for a side kick to Brock's abdomen, Brock jumped back to avoid the hit and threw out another straight punch, Pietro took the blow and staggered back, but then Pietro hit Brock with a knee to the stomach and then unloaded a right cross punch onto Brock's right cheek. The hockey player then attempted to lift the surfer up for a throw but Brock was able to wriggle out of Pietro's grip and then smacked Pietro with a knee to the sternum and then Brock grabbed Pietro and while holding the Canadian man with one hand started to knee him in the stomach multiple times and then just dropped Pietro to the ground, Pietro however quickly scrambled back up to his feet.

"Wow, Brock just unleashed a huge plate of hurt into Pietro, but however Pietro is still getting up from it. Those hockey players are tougher to chew through than dog biscuits," commented Triple R.

"What, you've eaten dog biscuits before Rick?" asked Sue.

"Yeah, I was curious as to how they tasted, they were good, but I nearly chipped a tooth on those sons of bitches," answered Triple R.

Brock laid another kick into Pietro's gut and then as Pietro's jumped backwards from the hit, he opened up his satchel and pulled out his hockey stick. Afterwards Pietro whirled his hand around low to the ground creating a ki projectile in the shape of a hockey puck.

"Puck Shot!" yelled Pietro.

Using his hockey stick, Pietro smacked the puck shaped projectile towards Brock, the projectile hit Brock square in the chest, Brock let out a groan as the puck smacked him. As Pietro started to sprint at the Australian surfer again, Brock let out his own projectile.

"Tiger!" hollered Brock.

An orange blade shaped projectile surged forth from Brock's clenched fists and before Pietro could even react, smacked the hockey player clear in the face, Pietro reeled back and then shook his head in an effort to dull the effects of the projectile.

"Ah, and Brock takes a page from his master's script with the Tiger Shot, it makes me want to sing that song Eye of the Tiger," spoke Triple R.

"Please don't start singing," grumbled Sue.

Brock and Pietro then darted at each other again, Pietro aimed a low kick towards Brock's shins and connected, however Brock retaliated with a snap kick to the kneecap. Pietro dropped down to his knees and Brock hit Pietro in the face with a knee. Pietro hastily did an ukemi and then pulled out his stick again and then started to drag it low to the ground towards Brock's feet.

"Stick Trip!" shouted Pietro.

Pietro hooked Brock's feet with his hockey stick and before the tall surfer could react, Pietro pulled the stick away fast and Brock was knocked off his feet. Not wasting time however Brock jumped back up and saw Pietro dashing towards him again. Brock planted his hands onto the ground patiently waiting for Pietro to fall into his trap.

"Kangaroo Kick!" bellowed Brock.

Jutting both feet forward, Brock decked Pietro with a hard kick to the abdomen, Pietro let out a huge grunt as he clutched his abdomen in pain and as he regained his composure, he threw another Puck Shot at Brock who ducked low and fired a Tiger Shot at Pietro's feet, the two projectiles sailed past each other and both hit their target causing the two fighters to stagger back from each other. As Pietro recovered he leapt into the air and stuck out a leaping roundhouse, however Brock knew exactly how to counter Pietro's move.

"Tiger Uppercut!" roared Brock.

Again emulating his mentor, Brock leapt high into the air with an outstretched fist and smacked Pietro five times with his rising uppercut move causing the Canadian fighter to fall back down to the steely floor hard.

"Cowabunga dude, Brock is so totally owning this match against Pietro, this is one totally radical match dude," blurted out Triple R in a stereotypical surfer tone.

"Rick, your surfer voice is just totally bogus dude and makes me wanna yak," retorted Sue.

"Well I guess not all surf bums are pussies, but you're still a wimp compared to me," remarked Pietro.

"If I'm not mistaken, you've taken the most hits thus far, but I will commend you for being able to take a beating," rebutted Brock.

"Well in hockey you have to be able to take your share of licks, we're some pretty tough bastards you know," informed Pietro.

"That may be true, but let's see if you have the fighting skills to match your resiliency!" retorted Brock.

Brock and Pietro sped towards each other again with ferocity, Pietro connected with an elbow to Brock's face as Brock retaliated with a sharp jab to Pietro's ribs. Pietro then hit Brock in the chin with an uppercut, Brock returned the favor by hitting Pietro in the nose with a straight fierce punch, Brock then grabbed Pietro and lifted the hockey star into the air again.

"Surfboard!" shouted Brock.

Brock promptly slammed Pietro hard onto the ground face first and then immediately after Pietro hit the canvas, Brock jumped onto his back and started riding Pietro like a surfboard, before getting off however, Brock stomped Pietro in the back and then jumped back a good distance, Pietro slowly got up and rubbed his sore back but then quickly got back into his fighting stance. Brock darted at him as Pietro stuck a fist up, a little puzzled Brock threw out a punch nonetheless, Pietro however grabbed Brock's fist before it connected with him.

"Moose Head!" growled Pietro.

While holding on to Brock's fist, Pietro cocked his head back and then shot forward with a hard head butt to Brock. As Brock held his forehead in pain, Pietro quickly pulled out his hockey stick and promptly used another Stick Trip to knock Brock to the ground again.

"Now I know why Pietro is called the Angry Moose. I'm going to add the moose to the list of animals I should fear," commented Triple R.

Brock scrambled back to his feet, as he got up, he saw Pietro launching another Puck Shot at him, Brock parried the blow and then started to rush in with a special move of his own to catch Pietro.

"Dingo Claw!" yelled Brock.

Brock rushed in quickly before Pietro could recover from his missed Puck Shot. As Brock got into Pietro's face, he smacked Pietro across the chest with a hard claw like strike. The force of Brock's Dingo Claw sent Pietro flying and hitting the ground again, Pietro did his ukemi again and then as Brock ran towards the hockey player he threw out another low snap kick, Pietro parried the strike and then ducked down and using a cheap tactic, punched the Australian fighter right in the groin, Brock's knees buckled as he held his groin in pain, Pietro then lifted Brock over his shoulders and threw the surfer away from him.

"Ouch, Brock just got decked in the digeridoo, and then Pietro's throw just added extra pain to the poor surfer dude," said Triple R.

"Indeed it did, but still Brock is getting back up, showing that no cheap groin strike is going to keep this warrior down," added Sue.

"I'm surprised you don't play hockey with all the pain you can endure, but I guess you wouldn't have made the cut anyways," said Pietro.

"It not my sport. If I'd have to deal with wankers like you every day, I don't think I would like it, besides, I'm happy with surfing," responded Brock.

"Well then buddy, let me drown you in my wave of rage now!" shouted Pietro.

"You're on thin ice already, don't get yourself in deeper shit by messing with me!" yelled Brock.

Once more Brock and Pietro darted at each other again and started to unload attacks on each other again, Pietro aimed a right hook, but had his attack parried and then Brock successfully smacked Pietro with another snap kick to the knees. As Pietro fell to his knees again, Brock smacked Pietro with yet another Dingo Claw sending him flying away again.

"C'mon Pietro, don't get blindly angry, stay focused on the match!" shouted Remy from the stands.

Pietro nodded and then pulled out his hockey stick again and started to create numerous puck shaped ki projectiles to prepare to launch a super move at Brock.

"Puck Flurry!" screamed Pietro.

With blinding speed, Pietro started to fire the pucks at Brock who tried to dodge them, but the number of pucks were just overwhelming and the pucks pelted Brock, and caused the Australian surfer to fall to the ground as the super ended. Brock quickly got up again however as he saw Pietro fly at him again with a roundhouse. Brock quickly parried the kick and then hit Pietro with a couple of jabs and then triggered a super move of his own.

"Wild Dingo!" hollered Brock.

Brock hit Pietro with three hard Dingo Claws, and as Pietro started to go sailing away from the third Dingo Claw, Brock grabbed Pietro by the feet while he was still airborne and slammed him down on the ground again and then finished off the super with the Surfboard move.

"Wow, and Brock retaliates wonderfully and shows us why many surfing aficionados refer to him as the Wild Dingo. And I guess that's where he got the name for that super," commented Triple R.

"But now Pietro is back on his feet, and it seems he's pretty furious that his super didn't keep Brock down," announced Sue.

"That's it you fucker, I'm pissed off now, I'm going to fucking break you in half bitch!" shouted Pietro.

"Bring it wanker!" hollered Brock who took his fighting stance as Pietro started to rush him down.

"Oh I'll bring it all right, Penalty Box!" screamed Pietro.

Pietro caught Brock off guard with a Stick Trip and knocked Brock flat on his back. Pietro then jumped on Brock and started to pummel the surfer with his hockey stick. After a while Pietro finally jumped off of Brock and put his stick away thinking Brock wouldn't get up.

"Brock, get up, show this hockey punk that you're a warrior, not a beginner!" shouted Sagat from the stands.

Hearing his master's voice, Brock slowly got up, totally shocking Pietro and angering him as well.

"Damn you're hard headed, but I like that, you're fun to beat up," taunted Pietro.

"Well the fun is over for you mate," stated Brock.

Pietro tried to trip Brock with his stick again, but Brock leapt over the stick and hit Pietro with a roundhouse and then triggered another super move.

"Boggo Road Blast!" shouted Brock.

Brock smacked Pietro with two hard Kangaroo Kicks and then rushed in with a Tiger Uppercut hitting him about eight times with that move and launching Pietro high into the air, and as the Canadian hockey player began to descend to the ground, Brock smacked the still airborne Pietro with a powered up Tiger Shot sending Pietro flying away right as he crashed to the floor.

"Aw, motherfucker," rasped Pietro as he failed to rise again.

"Wow and Pietro is the one that's officially wiped out!" yelled Sue.

"He couldn't handle the waves thrown at him, so the winner of this match is Brock Irvine!" announced Triple R.

Brock turned to Sagat and gave him a thumbs up, and then turned back to Pietro and lifted him up to his feet.

"What, you're helping after I've been a dick to you?" asked Pietro.

"Yeah, I'm being the better man, you know you're a good fighter, but you still have work to do to control that blind anger of yours," answered Brock.

"Well hey you're right, but I guess if I had a good sparring partner back at home, someone that could fight like you, I wouldn't be so furious on the hockey rink," gasped Pietro.

"Hmm, well hopefully you can find someone like that, because one day I would like to fight you again, and hopefully you'll have learned to work on your major glaring weakness," said Brock.

"I shall work on that man, and good luck on saving your best friend from Zephyr," replied Pietro.

"Thanks, I will fight hard to see that he is free again," remarked Brock.

Brock shook Pietro's hand and then the two headed back to the locker area to take care of their wounds they had caused to each other.

Author's Note: Well another fight done, still three more fights in the first round however. I'm amped that I'm almost at the second round of the tournament. But anyways, the next match will be between Ryu and Q. How will the mysterious trench coated warrior fare against Ryu? You'll just have to wait until next chapter to find out the answers, until then however, please read and review.


	37. Round One, Fight Fourteen

**Chapter 36: Round One, Fight Fourteen**

Zephyr's Island, early evening

Outside in the arena, Oro was feeling overly excited. He had paid close attention to each fight and knew that according to the bracket, his protege, Ryu, was now due to fight.

"Yes, the fight I've been waiting for this whole time, I can't wait to see my student in action!" exclaimed Oro.

"Whoa, calm down old man, we don't want you to die of a heart attack before the fight even starts," called out Ken.

"Hey, I've never had a heart attack before, and I don't think I'm going to be victim to one anytime soon," laughed Oro.

"Boy I hope if I ever get to be as old as you that I have as much vigor as you," said Ken.

"Although I couldn't really see myself at 150 years old, that's just scary when I think about it," added Chun-Li.

"I'll talk to you later, right now pipe down, your friend is about to take the arena right now," piped Oro.

All eyes turned towards the center of the arena as Triple R and Sue once again headed out to the arena to announce the next match.

"Well, apparently in Japan, the legal age to date a girl is fourteen..." started Triple R.

"Don't tell me you're thinking about picking up a fourteen year old girl," gasped Sue.

"No, but I think it's legal for all of us to watch these fights regardless of our age in whatever country we're in, and I hope it gives you good pleasure," commented Triple R.

"That's right, a seasoned veteran of the Street Fighter tournaments fights someone very mysterious to all of us in this upcoming match," spoke Sue.

"Our first competitor is from Tokyo, Japan. He lives for the fight, and I guess that's pretty much it, I guess that's why his friend gave him the e-mail address boringryu. Anyway, show some love for Ryu!" announced Triple R.

As the double doors slowly opened, Ryu took his time walking out to the ring, he walked straight forward, his mind completely engrossed in the match he would be involved in. Ryu was clad in his trademark white gi and red headband. He also had on purple robes similar to Oro's over his gi. As Ryu got to the center of the arena, he took a look over at where Oro and Ken were and gave them a slight nod before turning back to face the double doors.

"And his opponent's origins are unknown, he is quite shrouded in mystery and there are many questions left unanswered about him, I guess it's only fitting that his name is the first letter in the word question. Give it up for Q!" announced Sue.

Q slowly emerged from the doorway and lumbered towards the arena slowly, his footsteps echoing loudly. Q stood clothed in a chocolate brown fedora, trench coat, and slacks, along with freshly shined black low quarter shoes. His face was covered in his usual steel mask with the glowing yellow eyes. He stood firmly staring down Ryu, breathing heavily as he glared at his opponent. Triple R and Sue hastily ran back to their announcer's table so the fight could begin.

"Round 1, Fight!" announced Triple R and Sue in unison.

Ryu and Q slowly circled around each other waiting on one another to see who would make the first move in the fight. Q attempted the first strike by going for a kick to Ryu's shins, Ryu however dodged the blow and threw out a straight fist towards Q's sternum. Q grabbed Ryu's fist before it could connect and smacked Ryu in the face with his free hand. Ryu quickly retaliated by smacking Q across the chest with a swift kick. Q staggered back from the hit but then aimed a hard punch at Ryu's face, Ryu ducked under the attack and swept Q off of his feet. Q did his ukemi and then saw Ryu rushing him down, Q delived a hard boot to Ryu's chest causing the Japanese warrior to jump back at bit. Ryu speedily shook off the pain of the blow and was soon back in Q's face, Ryu elbowed Q in his masked face and then hoisted Q up and threw the mysterious fighter over his shoulder. Q did an ukemi again and then rushed at Ryu again, Ryu threw out a punch to the sternum, Q parried the attack and swept Ryu off of his feet.

"Oh my, there's no words wasted between these two, they are all business!" commented Triple R.

"If words were trash however, I'd think you'd be a pretty big landfill," remarked Sue.

Ryu did an ukemi to roll back to his feet faster, he saw Q dash at him speedily, Ryu put his palms together in a familiar form to halt Q's rush.

"Hadoken!" yelled Ryu.

Q staggered back as the blue ball of energy smacked him across the chest, as Ryu jumped inward to attack Q, the masked warrior unleashed a counterattack of his own.

"High Speed Barrage!" boomed Q.

Flailing his arms out with ferocity, Q smacked Ryu three times knocking the Japanese fighter out of the sky and onto the cold steel floor. Ryu hastily stood back up and saw Q rushing at him with a hard punch, Ryu quickly dove out of the way and then hit Q with a jumping fierce punch, and then a hard uppercut before finishing off his combo with another familiar tactic used by the Ansatsuken practitioners.

"Shoryuken!" yelled Ryu.

Rising up into the air with his fist outstretched, Ryu hit Q square in the jaw with his Shoryuken sending the masked fighter flying back onto the ground.

"Ah, how I love seeing vintage Ansatsuken in action, although I don't think Q shares my enthusiasm," commented Triple R.

"Well, would you be enthusiastic about it if you were on the receiving end of those moves?" asked Sue.

"Probably not," responded Triple R.

Q stood up fast and rushed at Ryu again this, anticipating a high attack, Q was able to catch Ryu off guard by aiming low this time, the attack knocked Ryu off of his feet.

"Q may be mysterious, but there's not mystery in how painful his moves are, they're really painful!" exclaimed Triple R.

"I will make you taste defeat warrior," boomed Q.

"You talk big, let's hope you can back it up," retorted Ryu.

"You shall see how well I can back it up," growled Q.

Q and Ryu dashed at each other., Q stuck out a roundhouse, Ryu tilted his head back to make Q completely whiff his attack. Ryu then stuck out his own roundhouse, Q parried the attack and then grabbed Ryu.

"Capture and Deadly Blow!" yelled Q.

Holding Ryu with one hand, Q brought his other hand forward and pegged Ryu with a very powerful uppercut, Ryu was launched high into the air as he descended, Q decked him with a lunging fierce punch. Ryu rose to his feet again as Q jumped high into the air, Ryu dashed backwards to avoid Q's jump kick and then as Q landed on the ground, Ryu rushed forward and grabbed Q by his leg.

"Niou Riki!" hollered Ryu.

Using only one arm, Ryu slammed Q onto the ground face first three times and then he dashed back to give himself some breathing room.

"Wow, now this should be interesting, I'd like to see how well Ryu integrates my style into his own," commented Oro.

"I could tell you, he does pretty good with that Senjutu stuff, I've seen it in action when he came to see me," remarked Ken.

Q arose speedily and then saw Ryu leap high into the air going for another attack.

"Jinchuu Watari!" shouted Ryu.

Ryu stomped on Q's head with two kicks knocking him down yet again. Q did an ukemi and then rushed at Ryu. The Japanese warrior stuck out a fierce, Q parried the attack and then hit Ryu with a couple of jabs and then smacked Ryu with another High Speed Barrage. Ryu immediately returned the favor with another Niou Riki, Q did another ukemi and then as Ryu tried to hit Q with the Jinchuu Watari again, Q parried the two stomps and then as Ryu landed, snagged Ryu with another Capture and Deadly Blow. As Ryu got up, Q rushed at him again, but didn't expect Ryu's next attack.

"Tatsumakisenpukyaku!" shouted Ryu.

With one leg extended, Ryu spun around in the air and knocked Q down with his powerful leg strength. As Q stood back up, he laughed.

"I didn't think you'd put up such a good fight, the stories about you don't do you justice," commented Q.

"You're resilient too, this is quite a good test for my skills," remarked Ryu.

Ryu shot another Hadoken at Q, the masked brawler leapt over the ki blast, but Ryu had another surprise in store for Q.

Nichiirin Shyou!" bellowed Ryu.

A small yellow ball of ki emitted from Ryu's fingers and knocked the airborne Q out of the air. Q did another ukemi and dusted his trench coat off.

"Well, I didn't know Ryu knew the Senjutu stuff, this makes for some good new fun from Ryu!" announced Triple R.

"I wish you'd learn how to do something new other than annoy me," grumbled Sue.

Q ran at Ryu again and stuck out a nap kick, Ryu blocked the attack and threw out a roundhouse, Q tilted his head back to avoid the attack. Q grabbed Ryu again and unleashed a new move of his own.

"Hammer and Nail!" screamed Q.

Q raised his fist up and smacked Ryu hard on top of his head knocking Ryu down to the ground, while Ryu was still grounded, Q raised his right foot and stomped Ryu hard on his chest. Ryu let out a gasp of pain.

"Wow, I hope the Hammer and Nail wasn't the nail in Ryu's coffin!" gasped Triple R.

It wasn't, Ryu rose again, Q tried to smack Ryu with another High Speed Barrage, the entire barrage was parried and then smacked Q with another attack of his own.

"Oni Yanma!" yelled Ryu.

Ryu decked Q with a two hit spiraling uppercut move, Oro cheered loudly as Ryu successfully used the Senjutu style with high effectiveness.

"Wow, Ryu has definitely exceeded my expectations, I'm loving every minute of this fight," cheered Oro.

"This can't be all you have, show me something new," said Ryu.

"You're gonna regret asking me to do that," boomed Q.

Q rushed inward and parried the strike Ryu stuck out to try and halt him, Q then unleashed one of his super moves.

"Critical Combo Attack!" shouted Q.

Q smacked Ryu with a barrage of rushing punches. The fifth and final attack sent Ryu flying against the wall, he hit the wall so hard that he bounced off of it before hitting the ground. Q rushed Ryu down in an attempt to keep Ryu down, it was failed however as Ryu smacked Q with two low kicks before unleashing a super move of his own.

"Yagyou Dama!" yelled Ryu.

Ryu let loose a slow travelling green orb of ki with smacked Q four times and knocked him to the ground.

"That Yagyou Dama is one potent super, but I'm kinda hoping Q gets back up because I want to see an Ansatsuken super from Ryu," said Triple R.

"And it looks like your wish has been granted Rick," commented Sue.

Q rose to his feet and shook his head to regain his composure and he once dusted off his trench coat before focusing on Ryu again.

"Hmm, not bad, you got up after that, I commend you for that," said Ryu.

"Too bad you won't get up after my next super!" shouted Q.

Q leapt into the air again, Ryu shot out an upwards Nichiirin Shyou in an effort to stop Q, the masked fighter parried the projectile while still airborne and hit Ryu with a hard fierce punch before unloading another super into Ryu.

"Deadly Double Combination!" bellowed Q.

Q shot forth a strong body blow to Ryu's stomach, cauing him to double over. Afterwards, Q hit Ryu upside the head with a double axe handle punch making Ryu bounce up into the air and then come crashing down shortly afterwards, Ryu groaned in pain upon hitting the floor.

"Ryu, don't let that pitiful attack put you down for the count, get up!" yelled Oro.

"Easy Oro, if I know Ryu, he'll shrug that off no problem," said Ken.

Ryu slowly rose to his feet. Q attempted another Hammer and Nail but, Ryu evaded the grab and then smacked Q with a hard fierce punch before linking it into another super move.

"Shin Shoryuken!" yelled Ryu.

Ryu hit Q in the jaw with an uppercut then switching hands, Ryu with another uppercut and then rose into the air hitting Q two more times with high power, Q went crashing down to the ground with a tremendously loud thud.

"Blast, I can't get up," gasped Q as he fell to the ground after attempting to rise.

"Oh, and I guess mystery man can't hang with the old G," commented Triple R.

"Indeed, so the winner of this match is none other than Ryu!" added Sue.

Many of the spectators cheered, the loudest ones coming from Oro of course, Ryu turned to Q and helped him up to his feet.

"That was a good fight, I enjoyed it thoroughly," said Ryu.

"Me too, even though my body ddin't really like it all to much," groaned Q.

"I have one question though, who are you?" asked Ryu.

"Maybe I'll tell you later on, right now is not a good time, stay focused on your fights," answered Q.

"Ok, but I hope to get some answers soon," replied Ryu.

"Don't worry, you will," said Q/

Ryu and Q then walked back through the double doors into the locker room so that the last two fights of the first round could take place.

Author's Note: Where there you go, yet another chapter from me, nice fight huh, I enjoy making Ryu do Oro's attacks, it seems so cool seeing him fight with two styles. But anyways, I'm glad I'm almost done with the first round of the tournament. Next chapter is the fight between Yang Lee and Frederick Lowe. Kung Fu vs. Tae Kwon Do, which will prevail, just you wait and see. Until then however, please read and review.


	38. Round One, Fight Fifteen

**Chapter 37: Round One, Fight Fifteen**

Zephyr's Island, mid evening.

Yang Lee was busy stretching himself out for his match, he knew he was the last of his siblings to fight in the tournament, Yun had fallen to his opponent, whereas Yin was victorious against hers. He took a deep breath as he thought about his upcoming match. As Yang got himself limbered up, Yun and Yin walked over to him to have another talk amongst siblings.

"Well Yang, I'd say you got lucky as far as opponents go, this Frederick kid shouldn't be too much of a hassle," boasted Yun.

"Now Yun, don't tell Yang to take him lightly, Frederick is a two time Tae Kwon Do champion in the United States, he has to be a relatively skilled fighter," chimed Yin.

"You know Yin is right, I cannot allow myself to get cocky otherwise I will lose this fight. But win or lose, you still made to the second round Yin, so we'll still have you to represent us if I should be unsuccessful in my fight," stated Yang.

"We know, but try and win anyways," piped Yun.

"Of course I am. I'm not just gonna throw the fight you know," said Yang.

Out in the arena, Triple R and Sue were again in the middle of the ring ready to announce the next match of the tournament.

"Well Sue, now we have two more fighters coming out for their fifteen minutes of fame in the fifteenth match of the first round," commented Triple R.

"We sure do Rick, but I'm sure these two want more than just the proverbial fifteen minutes, that's why they're gonna fight hard to win the match," remarked Sue.

"You are correct, but anyways, let's introduce the combatants. Our first competitor comes from Hong Kong, he's the last of the Lee siblings to fight in this tournament, he has a nice job in an office and is prepared to shred you like obsolete paperwork, let's have a nice warm welcome for Yang Lee!" announced Triple R.

As the double doors opened with the loud creaking sound that they normally opened with, Yang entered the ring with the look of determination that every fighter that entered the ring had. Yang was clothed in a dark gray blazer with a white button down dress shirt and red tie underneath, he also had on dark gray slacks and black low quarter shoes. Yang immediately took his fighting stance as he waited for who he would be facing.

"And his opponent is from Atlanta, Georgia. He's the two time United States Tae Kwon Do champion prepared to kick this tournament into high gear and to just kick ass in general, show your love for Frederick Lowe!" announced Sue.

Again the double doors opened up as Frederick entered the arena, a determined look and a sly grin on his face as he walked towards the center of the ring. Frederick was wearing a red Tae Kwon Do gi with black trim around the gi. As he took his battle stance, Triple R and Sue resumed their post at the announcer's table.

"Round 1, Fight!" announced Triple R and Sue in unison.

Frederick hopped forward with one leg up as if he was ready to unleash a kicking strike, Yang stepped back to try and keep himself distanced from Frederick. Yang threw out a knife like strike to Frederick's sternum, Frederick blocked the attack and stuck out a low snap kick to Yang's shins. The kick connected as Yang winced in pain, but soon retaliated with a knee to Frederick's abdomen, Frederick grunted as Yang followed up his knee with a punch to the face. Frederick then aimed another kick at Yang's legs, he connected with Yang's kneecap making the Chinese fighter drop to his knees, Frederick then did a hopping spin kick to Yang's face making him reel back while still on his knees. Yang soon sprang back up however and leapt into the air and aimed a blade like kicking strike at Frederick's head. Yang successfully connected with his attack and then unloaded a special move into the Tae Kwon Do fighter.

"Tourou Zan!" yelled Yang.

Yang pelted Frederick with three lightning quick chops, the third chop was delivered with such powerful force, that it knocked Frederick back about six feet and onto his back, Frederick did an ukemi to get back to his feet faster. Yang dashed at the half black, half white warrior, Frederick channeled electric ki into his foot and then flew forward at Yang.

"Flying Thunder Kick!" shouted Frederick.

Frederick's special attack smacked Yang square in the sternum and electrified him as well, Yang flew backwards onto the ground, the electric ki dissipated as Yang hit the ground. Yang did an ukemi however to recover faster and was soon ready to strike back against Frederick.

"Wow, and with attacks like the Flying Thunder Kick, Frederick is determined to make this match quite a shocker!" commented Triple R.

"I couldn't have said it better myself Rick, wait did I just agree with you, I'm going nuts," said Sue.

Frederick hopped forward again and aimed a kick at Yang's solar plexus, Yang quickly parried the attack and then swept Frederick off of his feet, Frederick did another ukemi and then as he saw Yang leap at him and stick out a roundhouse, Frederick parried the blow and hit Yang with a solid hook punch and then comboed it into another one of his special moves.

"Whirling Thunder Tornado!" roared Frederick.

Frederick started to spin around with one foot out as a mini tornado of electric ki encircled him, Yang was decked by five solid kicks and electrified yet again, Yang flew back and hit the ground hard.

"Oh my, and Frederick is really lighting Yang up like a Christmas tree, and running up, I wonder how much his electric bill is?" questioned Triple R.

"He doesn't work for PG&E, so it's probably the same as many others," answered Sue.

"Hmm, you take my attacks pretty well, hopefully I won't overload your circuits anytime soon," taunted Frederick.

"It will take more than just flashy attacks to defeat me, I hope you know that," retorted Yang.

"Of course I know that, I aint stupid, so let me get back to kicking your ass," remarked Frederick.

"Are you sure it will be my ass that's going to get kicked?" asked Yang as he rushed at Frederick again.

Yang and Frederick were once again in each other's faces as the fists and feet flew fast, Frederick threw out a side kick to Yang's face, Yang reacted quickly and used a special move of his own to escape Frederick's furious feet.

"Kaihou!" yelled Yang.

Dashing quickly Yang disappeared and then reappeared right behind Frederick. Before the Tae Kwon Do warrior could react, Yang pelted Frederick with a knife like strike to the back and then did another special move.

"Senkyutai!" screamed Yang.

Yang rolled forward and smacked Frederick square in the chin with an upwards rising kick and knocked Frederick to the ground with that exact same move. Frederick grunted in pain as he stood up and saw Yang leaping at him again. Thinking instinctively, Frederick patiently waited for Yang to descend further before unleashing his attack.

"Rising Thunder Knee!" bellowed Frederick.

Frederick rose up into the air and channeled his electrifying ki into his knee, and jutting that knee forward he completely snuffed Yang's strike and shocked the Kung Fu fighter yet again and sent him sailing backwards onto the hard steel floor.

"Damn, this match is full of shocking moments, and I don't think Yang is enjoying any of those moments," commented Triple R.

"No shit Rick, being shocked is not a pleasant feeling," piped Sue.

Frederick ran forward towards Yang as the Chinese combatant was rising back up to fight more. Frederick aimed a crescent kick at Yang who quickly parried the blow and then decked Frederick with a jab, an elbow and then wound up for another powerful attack.

"Byakko Soushouda!" shouted Yang.

With a lot of force, Yang hit Frederick hard in the ribs with a strong double palm strike. The sheer force of the blow sent Frederick flying back and onto the ground. Frederick rubbed his ribs in pain as he sat back up. As he got back to his feet, Yang rushed at him and threw out a roundhouse at the Tae Kwon Do fighter. Frederick parried the strike and hit Yang with another Whirling Thunder Tornado. As Yang hit the ground, Frederick leapt into the air and went for another special attack as Yang was getting back up.

"Lightning Rain!" growled Frederick.

Electric ki engulfed Frederick's feet again as he descended down kicking wildly, Yang decided to counter attack with the Senkyutai, the two warriors wound up trading hits and hit the ground at the exact same time.

"For someone with so little experience compared to me, you sure hold your own well," said Yang as he arose.

"Heh, I didn't get to be a champ without learning to take hits, in fact you're my toughest opponent thus far," laughed Frederick.

Yang and Frederick ran at each other yet again, the two both unleashed roundhouse kicks at the same time and both connected with each other's faces at the exact same time again and staggered back from each other in unison as well. Yang performed another Kaihou to get behind Frederick again, but this time, Frederick was prepared and turned around ready to deck Yang as he reappeared.

"Shock Backfist!" yelled Frederick.

Frederick surrounded his clenched fist with his electric ki and smacked Yang across the face with his fist as Yang appeared behind Frederick who followed up the backfist with another Rising Thunder Knee knocking Yang back onto the ground.

"Shit, I can't take too much more of these electric attacks, I have to go for a finish fast," thought Yang to himself as he got back up.

"Oh, you're still want more buddy, I'll light you up all day if I must," chimed Frederick.

Yang did another Kaihou and Frederick turned around expecting Yang to try and get behind him again, this time however, Yang stopped short and while Frederick was still turned around, charged up for a super move.

"Raishin Mahhaken!" screamed Yang.

Yang decked Frederick with an upwards chop cauing an electric blade of ki to rise from the ground and add more damage to blow and then dashing forward in a blur, smacked Frederick with a multi hit knife like strike to the chest area. Frederick groaned as he hit the ground but was still game and got back up to fight some more. Yang rolled forward for another Senkyutai, Frederick dashed backwards and charged up his own super attack.

"Direct Lightning Kick!" shouted Frederick.

Electric ki surrounded Frederick's entire body as he flew forward with his right foot jutted out. A huge surge of electricity coursed through Yang's body and sent him flying twelve feet back as he landed back first onto the ground.

"Whew, that really hurt, I need to avoid that attack at all costs if I want to come out of this match victorius," said Yang to himself.

Frederick darted forward as Yang was rising again, he started unload a flurry of kicks, but Yang began to parry them all, when Yang found his opening he hit Frederick with a low kick and then chained that into a super move in an attempt to keep Frederick down.

"Tenshin Senkyutai!" cried out Yang.

Yang rolled forward smacking Frederick across the abdomen and then rose up into the air and pelted Frederick with numerous kicks to the chin, Frederick hit the ground hard as Yang landed on his feet and started breathing heavily. Dan and Blanka gazed wide eyed at Frederick.

"Oh my, that can't be it for Frederick can it?" asked Dan.

"I don't know...Dan," answered Blanka.

Frederick slowly rose again, Yang sighed out of disbelief and then did a Kaihou to get closer to Frederick fast, upon reappearing, Yang tried to hit Frederick with a Tourou Zan, Frederick parried all the chops and then immediately shot off his own super move.

"Hyper Whirling Thunder Tornado!" screamed Frederick.

Frederick whirled around again wiht one foot extended as a large tornado of electric ki circled Frederick. Twelve powerful electrical kicks smacked Yang across the face and chest area, after the twelfth kick, Yang flew backwards and hit the ground.

"That's way too much to handle," gasped Yang who didn't even try to get up, his body was racked with enormous pain from all the electricity he absorbed from the Hyper Whirling Thunder Tornado.

"Oh my, and it's lights out for Yang!" shouted Triple R.

"So true, he couldn't handle all that raw power, so the winner of this match is Frederick Lowe!" announced Sue.

Blanka howled loudly to celebrate the victory of his friend as Frederick raised his fist in triumph. He then saw Yang on the ground groaning in pain and decided to help him up.

"Sorry for juicing you up too much, but I have to do what I can to keep Zephyr from using my family's dojo for malicious purposes," commented Frederick.

"Not a problem, you truly are skilled to be able to take me down, besides, as long as someone beats Zephyr, I don't care, because that will mean that my village will be protected," rasped Yang.

"True, thanks for the arduous fight though, you kept me on my toes," said Frederick.

"You're welcome, I look to fighting you again one day," replied Yang.

Frederick helped Yang get back into the locker area that way the last fight of the first round could get underway soon.

Author's Note: Another match down, and I'm almost done with the first round finally. The last match of the first round will be next chapter. And that fight is between Scott Wagner and Skye Hawk. Who will come out on top in the battle between T. Hawk's daughter and Jami's Air Force OC, we shall see in the next fight. But until then, please read and review.


	39. Round One, Fight Sixteen

**Chapter 38: Round One, Fight Sixteen**

Zephyr's Island, mid evening

Inside the locker room, Scott Wagner just finished a set of push ups to help himself warm up for his match. He was one of the last ones to fight in the first round, and finally, he would get his chance to blow off some steam.

"It's about time that my fight comes up, I wonder what kind of power that Skye girl has," mused Wagner.

"Knowing her father's background, she probably carries a lot of his techniques, stay away from close range combat with her," piped Vicki.

"I'll keep that in mind, thanks Vicki," replied Wagner.

Elsewhere, Skye Hawk talked with her new friend unoka Muir about her fight.

"Well, my chance to fight to get the money to rebuild my tribe's land has come, I have to do what I can to win," commented Skye.

"Just play smart against Wagner, he's military so of course he's going to be very calm and calculated in combat, don't rush blindly into the fray," advised Unoka.

"You got it, that bit of advice should help me out to some extent," said Skye.

Over in the arena area, Triple R and Sue again walked out to the center of the ring ready to to their job as usual.

"Well folks, this is our sweet sixteenth match, and I hope this sixteenth match will bring the first round of the tournament to an absolutely sweet end," commented Triple R.

"Right on, a young native American girl takes on a rough and tumble military man in this final match of the first round," added Sue.

"Our first competitor is a Technical Sergeant in the United States Air Force, stationed at Edwards Air Force Base in Los Angeles, California, he's prepared to dive bomb the competion into oblivion, let's all give a warm welcome to Scott Wagner!" announced Triple R.

As the double doors flew open swiftly, Wagner calmly walked out to the ring, a hard look of preparation adorning his face. Wagner was clad in a solid black T-shirt, his BDU trousers, and shiny black combat boots. He turned to Guile as he saw him in the crowd and saluted the retired colonel out of respect, and then fixed his glance on the double doors.

"And his opponent comes from Tucson, Arizona. She's the future chief of the prestigious Thunderfoot tribe and she has no reservations in going completely savage on you, give it up for Skye Hawk!" announced Sue.

The double doors opened again and Skye entered the ring without hesitation, she also looked highly determined and ready to fight. Skye was dressed in a blue denim vest which she had buttoned up of course, blue jeans, and brown leather boots, on her head, she had a Native American head ornament with two feathers sticking out of it. Skye spotted T. Hawk in the crowd, bowed to her father and then turned to face Wagner as Triple R and Sue followed their routine and got back to their announcer's table.

"Round 1, Fight!" announced Triple R and Sue in unison.

Wagner and Skye slowly inched towards each other, neither fighter averting their gaze from one another. Skye stuck out the first attack by aiming chop for Wagner's side, Wagner blocked the strike and tried to hit Skye with his left knee, Skye dodged the blow by dashing back. Wagner then rushed in and aimed his elbow at Skye's face, Skye staggered back as the elbow successfully connected. Skye however parried Wagner's following attack and then grabbed the Tech Sergeant in a choke hold, continuously squeezing his neck to further layer the pain on. After about five squeezes, Skye tossed wagner into the air, but he recovered and landed on his feet Skye quickly reacted however by decking Wagner with a double chop to Wagner's sides, Wagner was briefly stunned by the blow but recovered speedily and grabbed the Native American female by her vest and flipped her over his shoulders and onto her back, Skye performed an ukemi to recover quicker.

"Wow, this sixteen year old girl is holding her own in the sixteenth match. Hey Sue, don't you find that ironic that this is match number sixteen and that Skye is sixteen years old?" commented Triple R.

"A see a small hint of irony, but don't blow it out of proportion, you're making it seem like you have a lolita complex," stated Sue.

Skye dashed at Wagner to get herself into close quarters with him, Wagner reacted by placing his palm forward and concentrating hard.

"Ultra Break!" yelled Wagner.

A surge of energy emitted from Wagner's palm stunning Skye, Wagner used this opportunity to lay a combo into his disoriented opponent. Skye did yet another ukemi as she hit the ground. Skye jumped high into the air and prepared to unleash a move of her own.

"Condor Dive!" screamed Skye.

With lightning quick speed, Skye zoomed downward at Wagner, smacking him square in the ribs with a powerful diving body press. The force of the Condor Dive sent Wagner flying back and he hit the ground hard but he did an ukemi himself to get himself back into a fighting position faster.

"Looks like there are two warhawks dueling to see who is the ruler of the skies, no pun intended towards Skye herself," commented Triple R.

Wagner and Skye dashed at each other, Wagner shot out a back fist attack which Skye quickly parried, she then aimed for a knee kick to Wagner's stomach, Wagner parried the blow that Skye shot forth and then swept Skye off of her feet, she hit the ground with a thud. As she rose up, she saw Wagner leaping at her, Skye knew exactly what to do to get herself back on the offensive.

"Tomahawk Buster!" shouted Skye.

Skye lifted her body up into the air, and drove her head into Wagner's chest area, knocking the wind out of Wagner and sending the military man crashing to the ground. As Wagner slowly caught his breath, he saw Skye dash towards him ready to keep her momentum going, the young Native American girl smacked Wagner across the face with a chop, the military warrior absorbed the blow and then reacting instinctively, Wagner rolled to the other side of Skye making her whiff a kicking strike, before Skye could recover, Wagner tightly wrapped his arms around Skye's waist and then braced himself.

"Ultra Slam!" hollered Wagner.

Wagner lifted Skye up into the air and peformed a German suplex on the young female fighter, but he wasn't done just yet, Wagner straightened himself out and then delivered a hard elbow to Skye's stomach adding extra pain to her body, Skye let out a low groan as she briefly gasped for air.

"And Wagner prepares to beat Skye just like any enemy of the military, brutally!" commented Triple R.

"Whew, I expected this much out of you, but I must win, not just for the world, but I need to make sure my tribe has a home to live at," said Skye.

"And I'm here to do my job at whatever the cost, I must be excellent in all that I do," retorted Wagner.

"Well I commend you for that, but this is one case where I must stand in the way of military personnel," remarked Skye.

"I understand, don't think I'll make your cause easy to obtain though," stated Wagner.

Skye and Wagner again got back in each other's faces ready to try and overpower the opponent. Wagner went for another sweep to try and floor Skye, but she hopped over the foot and chained a low chop attack into a fierce snap kick and then finished her combo with a Tomahawk Buster which smacked Wagner across his chest and face for two hits and Wagner once again found himself on the floor. Wagner did an ukemi to right himself faster, but as he stood upright, he saw Skye going for a Condor Dive again, Wagner was prepared this time and decided to launch an attack that he was sure would completely snuff Skye's powerful Condor Dive.

"Rising Kick!" bellowed Wagner:

Emulating Guile, Wagner did an attack very similar to the Somersault Shell, however instead of just one flip kick like normal, he decked Skye with a second one, the Condor Dive was completely nullified and Skye crashed down on the ground. When she got up again though, she saw Wagner rush at her and try to grab her in another Ultra Slam, however, Skye shot her foot backward hitting Wagner square in the stomach, Wagner doubled over and clutched his stomach in pain, Skye took advantage of Wagner's stunned state and grabbed the military fighter by the top of his head.

"Thunderfoot Typhoon!" roared Skye.

Skye leapt high into the air, her grip on Wagner's head was incredibly tight as she spun him around like a pinwheel with only one arm. As Skye started to descend, she stretched her arm downwards and slammed Wagner hard on the ground head first, Wagner let out a loud groan as Skye jumped backwards after the Thunderfoot Typhoon.

"Wow, that Thunderfoot Typhoon looks to cause a major headache for Wagner and probably scrambled his brains pretty badly," announced Triple R.

"Sometimes I wonder if someone did something like that to you, I think you may have scrambled brains," commented Sue.

Wagner sprang back to his feet quickly and shook his head to regain his composure before resuming his assault on Skye who was patiently waiting for Wagner to come and attack her again. Wagner aimed a roundhouse kick at Skye who tilted her head back to avoid the attack and then retaliated with a hard chop which Wagner parried and then afterwards, Wagner grabbed the Native American fighter by the throat.

"Ultra Shock!" yelled Wagner.

Electrical ki started to flow through wagner's hands which electrocuted Skye and caused her to cry out in pain before Wagner threw her to the ground, Skye again performed an ukemi and as Wagner darted towards her, Skye prepared another special move to floor Wagner.

"Condor Spire!" shouted Skye.

Skye leapt towards Wagner and delivered a double axe handled chop to the back of the neck which immediately floored Wagner, Wagner rolled backwards as he got back up to get himself some breathing room and some time to plan his next move.

"Ultra Disc!" cried out Wagner.

Wagner shot forth a yellow disc shaped ki projectile which hurtled towards Skye speedily, Skye thought fast and immediately did what she could to avoid getting hit by the projectile.

"Hawk Reflector!" yelled Skye.

Skye stuck her palms out and a blue ki barrier formed in front of her, the Ultra Disc bounced off the Hawk Reflector and shot back at Wagner who was promptly decked by his own attack.

"Heh, you're a smart opponent, I enjoy facing you, but I must bring our little scuffle to an end and resume my mission," said Wagner.

"Well, I'm thinking the same thing, let's see who succeeds in doing so," responded Skye.

Wagner nodded and then made a berserk dash towards Skye who took a defensive stance, Wagner started to throw out random attacks forcing Skye to keep her guard up as she couldn't sense a pattern in Wagner's attacks. Eventually Wagner was able to find a hole in Skye's defense and was successful in connecting with his back fist into a jab and then unleashed a super move.

"Super Ultra Finish!" boomed Wagner.

Wagner unloaded a furious flurry of punches and kicks into Skye and then finished off the powerful barrage with his Rising Kick, Skye still rose however, Wagner tried to sweep Skye as she was rising, but she parried his attack and then grabbed the military warrior with her own super move.

"Raging Typhoon!" hollered Skye.

Skye grabbed Wagner by the top of his head again and leapt into the air while spinning Wagner around in her hand and slammed Wagner on his head, but bounced back up a little higher and then came down slamming Wagner on the top of his head again, Skye bounced up into the air again even higher, still spinning Wagner around and then descended and slammed Wagner on his head again for the third time.

"Wagner, c'mon, get up, I know you're stronger than that my friend!" called out Guile from the stands.

"Fuck, that was painful, I don't think I can handle that shit again," groaned Wagner to himself as he sat up and shook his head to try and numb the throbbing pain.

"What, I thought that would've been it for you right there. You sure are a tough man, I like that in a fighter, it'll only make me a better chief when the time comes for me to run my tribe," commented Skye.

Wagner said nothing, he merely waited as Skye ran at him and as she was within range, he unloaded another super move to trap Skye in.

"Super Ultra Burst!" shouted Wagner.

Wagner kicked Skye hard in the abdomen causing the female fighter to double over and clutch her abdomen in pain, Wagner then started to shoot forth a flurry of Ultra Discs, pelting Skye numerous times, after about fifteen discs, he charged up for a final Ultra Disc and shot it forth, the last one let loose a huge ki burst sending Skye flying back about ten feet.

"C'mon Skye, you can't allow yourself to be defeated, don't let the Thunderfoot down my daughter!" boomed T. Hawk trying to motivate Skye to rise again.

"That was fun, but if you're smart, you won't get back up," taunted Wagner.

"Then I guess I'm not smart to you, I refuse to give up yet," retorted Skye as she stood back up again.

Wagner groaned and shot forth another Ultra Disc thinking that would be enough to floor Skye again and keep her down, but before it could hit her, Skye leapt high into the air and the Ultra Disc sailed right past her.

"Thundering Skybird!" screamed Skye.

Skye dove down so fast it was almost a blur, hitting Wagner with a much more powerful Condor Dive than her previous ones. The sheer force of the Condor Dive dizzied Wagner, and as he stumbled around dazed, Skye summoned forth some ki from deep inside her and unleashed a huge powerful blue burst of ki from her palms. The ki burst only hit Wagner five times, but each blow racked Wagner's body with enormous pain and he flew back about eight feet before crashing down to the steely ground.

"Son of a bitch!" groaned Wagner as he tried to get up to his feet but just fell back down.

"Oh my and Wagner has just crashed and burned!" announced Sue.

"Indeed he did that means the winner of this match is Skye Hawk!" added Triple R.

"Excellent work Skye," spoke T. Hawk as he saluted his daughter and Wagner, Guile also saluted Wagner as well. Skye turned to Wagner and then helped her defeated opponent back up to his feet.

"Not bad Wagner, I can tell you're a very valuable asset to the Air Force, you almost had me with that last super though," remarked Skye.

"Yup, I hear it every day that I'm a valuable asset to the Air Force, and from the way you fought, I can tell you'll be a great chief for your tribe," rasped Wagner.

"Indeed, and you always know that the rest of us are of course going to help you out on your mission, we're all your friends," stated Skye.

"Thanks, and good luck on getting the money to rebuild your tribe's land, you're a very caring person and deserve that money to help your people," said Wagner.

"Thank you Wagner," piped Skye as her and Wagner walked back into the locker area.

"Well folks, that's it for the first round of this tournament, we hope you all loved the high octane fights that were presented to you today. Here is the lineup for the next round of the tournament!" announced Triple R.

"Fight one in round two will be Alex versus Sano Tezuka."

"Fight two will be Sean Matsuda versus Xavier Jackson."

"Fight three will be Mel Masters versus Godo Kanzuki."

"Fight four will be Tomoko Nakamura versus Kiyomi."

"Fight five will be Marcos Ortega versus Datta."

"Fight six will be Yin Lee versus Isabella DiMarino."

"Fight seven will be Brock Irvine versus Ryu.

"And fight eight will be Frederick Lowe versus Skye Hawk."

"But that's all the fights for tonight though, we need our rest, and so do the fighters, and I'm sure you're all getting sleepy too so go and get some sleep, the second will start tomorrow morning," announced Sue.

"Good night, have some pleasant dreams, I know I am tonight," commented Triple R.

With that, the stands cleared out as everyone left the arena for their lodging areas.

Author's Note: Well, I'm finally done with the first round of this tournament. Jami I hope you're happy with the job I did with Wagner and don't mind that I gave him a new super or that he lost his match, I still made sure he gave a good fight and again thanks for letting me use him in this fic. Well next chapter will be an intermission, some questions that you may have about the fic will be answered, and of course the character relationships will get stronger. But the chapter after next, we'll get back to the action of course. So until then my friends, please read and review.


	40. Intermission One

**Chapter 39: Intermission One**

Zephyr's Island, late evening

In the hotel that housed the competitors of the ongoing Street Fighter tournament, each of the fighters was busy doing his or her own thing. Some where milling around the hotel talking amongst each other, some where in their rooms talking to people back at home or resting for the next day because there were still sixteen fighters vying to be the one that would be able to face off against Zephyr.

In the little bar area near the hotel lobby, Wilfred Black, Quock Xie, Hans Van Bratten, Mitsukake Kagatoshi, and Pietro Omakovski were all sitting down downing a few pitchers of beer, deciding to enjoy their time on the island now that they were out of the tournament.

"I say, the brew here is smashing! It even tastes better than the suds I drink at The Filth Blagger. And that's a hard feat to top British beer," commented Wilfred.

"It doesn't make up for losing our battles, but it's a nice consolation prize," chimed in Hans.

"Don't you fret Hans, I'm sure whoever wins the tournament, will give Zephyr one painful bitch slapping and solve all our problems caused by him" stated Pietro a little slurred.

"Yep, Pietro is right, we're all gonna come out of this just fine and dandy. Just be glad we'll actually have more time to heal than those that have to keep fighting," said Mitsukake.

"Yep, we'll be back to tap dancing quite quickly if I do say so myself," spoke Quock.

"I don't know about tap dancing, but we'll definitely be back to kicking ass at whatever we do, because I love kickass in hockey, and I love you guys," slurred Pietro.

"I think he's had enough, someone better take him to his room," suggested Wilfred.

"I'll do it, his room is next to mine, and I should get some rest anyways," volunteered Mitsukake.

As Mitsukake started to carry the heavily inebriated Pietro to his room, Xavier Jackson and Alex walked by the bar having just finished a workout in the hotel's gym, Hans waved over to his fellow big guys.

"Hey you two, why don't you join us for a drink," said Hans.

"I could use a nice cold brewski, but I shouldn't drink any alcohol while I'm still fighting in the tournament, maybe once I win, you and I can get plastered," replied Xavier.

"That's some big talk, but you're a pro wrestler, so I expect it from you, " piped Alex.

"Yep, you gotta have charisma, you know what I'm saying," said Xavier.

"So true, but I think we should rest, the first two fights tomorrow belong to us, we're gonna need the rest more than the others will," suggested Alex.

"Before you two retire to your rooms, can I ask you to give my kids an autograph Mr. Jackson?" asked Wilfred.

"Hey, no problem Willy, what are your kids names?" inquired Xavier.

"Ian, Rebecca, and Norman," answered Wilfred.

"All right, glad to do this for fans of mine," chimed Xavier.

Xavier nodded and the two wiped the sweat from their foreheads and then headed towards the elevator for their hotel rooms. Meanwhile, in Yin Lee's hotel room, Yin along with Yun and Yang were on the phone talking to their friend Kaoru Miadama who was staying in Hong Kong to look after the Lee's village.

"So Kaoru, how are things in the village currently?" asked Yin.

"It's been quiet surprisingly, nobody has tried to start any trouble over here," answered Kaoru.

"How are Hoimei and Shaomei doing?" inquired Yang.

"Well, they're worried sick about you guys, Shaomei keeps crying that she doesn't want to become a widow," answered Kaoru.

"Hey, her and Hoimei won't have to worry about us getting hurt sadly," grumbled Yun.

"What do you mean by sadly?" questioned Kaoru.

"I'm the only one out of the three of us that advanced to the second round," responded Yin.

"Oh, I'm sure that pisses off Yun," laughed Kaoru.

"Yeah, I wanted to knock some more people around, this sucks," huffed Yun.

"Oh well, when we get home, we can go back to smacking around scrubs that try to start shit in our village," said Yang.

Yun nodded in agreement, as the Lee's continued their conversation with Kaoru. Elsewhere in the hotel, Vicki, Wagner, and Amy were musing amongst each other.

"Well, all three of us being eliminated in the first round sure makes our job a lot harder now," stated Vicki.

"We all made a common mistake, all three of us wound up underestimating our opponents which caused our downfall," remarked Wagner.

"Still, our task is not impossible, we just need the help of our friends," said Amy.

At that time, Datta was walking by the trio, Amy waved over to the Indian warrior and he immediately walked over to them.

"Hey Amy, what's up?" asked Datta.

"We need your help on something Datta," answered Amy.

"Sure, I'll be glad to help in whatever it is," spoke Datta.

"Good, we need you to retrieve a document called the Z File from Zephyr's office that way we can found out some stuff about Zephyr's motives," informed Vicki.

"All right, I shall see what I can do," replied Datta.

"Wait, breaking into Zephyr's office will be dangerous, let me come with you," blurted out Isabella who was walking by and overheard the conversation.

"Well then Miss DiMarino, will you help me then in retrieving these documents for Agent Small, Tech Sergeant Wagner, and Amy?" inquired Datta.

"Very well, I shall help you focus your thoughts on the office so we can teleport there quickly," answered Isabella.

"Wait, before you go, can you make copies of the Z File documents for me, I'm supposed to get those to my sensei back in Kyoto as well," informed Ibuki.

"If we can, we will," answered Datta and Isabella.

With that, Datta and Isabella went into a trance like state focusing their thoughts on their destination, as a clear picture of where they wanted to wind up appeared in their heads, the two disappeared from Vicki and crew's sight. A few seconds later, Datta and Isabella found themselves in a dark office, many file cabinets littered the office, on the desk in the middle of the office lay an open file, as Datta turned on the lights, Isabella looked at the folder on the desk.

"This is not the Z File, this is information on all of us fighting at the tournament, it looks like the Illuminati has done some extensive research on us all," remarked Isabella.

"I would expect that, after all, Zephyr wants to be prepared to face any of us in the final battle, but please, we must find the Z File quickly," responded Datta.

Isabella nodded and then put the file she was looking at back down on Zephyr's desk and started to assist Datta in rummaging through the file cabinets in search of the files that Vicki needed to accomplish her mission. Eventually they came to a padlocked cabinet, one they were sure the Z File was in.

"How do you propose that we get the lock open, we do not have any clue what the combination is," said Datta.

"That is not a problem," answered Isabella grabbing the lock and she surged forth some of Rose's Soul Power to break the padlock. Datta and Isabella then hastily opened the drawer and found a file labeled "Top Secret amongst the clutter. Upon skimming the file, they found it was indeed the Z File. Isabella looked around the office and found Zephyr's copier and then speedily dashed over there, activated the machine which hummed loudly as Isabella hurriedly made copies of the Z File.

"Isabella, don't you find it weird that Zephyr hasn't shown up to stop us from stealing this file yet?" asked Datta.

"I do, but let's not worry about that, we got what we came here for, let's not overstay our visit," answered Isabella.

"Agreed," piped Datta as he and Isabella teleported out of the office and back to the hotel, where Vicki, Amy, Wagner, and Ibuki were waiting for them.

"Well did you get the file?" asked Vicki.

"Yes, and we were able to make copies as well, so here you go Ibuki," answered Isabella handing Ibuki the copy she made of the Z File.

"All right, my mission is successful, now I just have to keep this safe until I get back home," cheered Ibuki.

Ibuki jumped for joy until she felt a tap on her shoulder, it was none other than Sean, he smiled big and Ibuki grinned back at him.

"Hey Ibuki, I was looking for you, do you wanna go somewhere and talk?" questioned Sean.

"Yeah, sounds nice, let me just put this thing back in my room and we're good to go," answered Ibuki.

Ibuki and Sean then walked off together as the others watched on.

"Speaking of the file, we should start going over this stuff now," suggested Wagner.

"Yeah we should, but thank you Isabella and Datta, we owe you two big time," said Amy as she gave Datta a kiss.

"Any time, I'm glad to help you out Amy," replied Datta.

In Oblique's room, the mutated Russian conversed with his equally mysterious friend, the trench coated Q.

"You know Q, I h-h-have some really bad feelings...about this t-t-tournament," stammered Oblique.

"Me too, I have this unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach that Zephyr has something planned to sabotage us, but I don't know what it could be," replied Q.

"Whatever it m-m-may be, we should...keep our eyes p-p-peeled at all...times," rasped Oblique.

Q merely nodded in agreement as him and Oblique continued to converse. In the hallway, Chela Castillo was sitting down with a pen and paper in her hand as she was scribbling song lyrics down on the sheet. After about a minute, she paused from her writing and scratched her head musing over what to write next. As Chela mulled over her new song, Frederick Lowe and Sano Tezuka were walking down the hallway and saw Chela lost in thought, so Frederick knelt over and decided to strike up a conversation.

"Hey Chela, what you up to?" asked Frederick.

"Oh, I'm just conjuring up lyrics for a new song, it's gonna be about what I experience here, yet I'm deciding what to put down next, got any suggestions?" inquired Chela.

"I can't really help you there, I'm not very musically gifted," answered Sano.

"Well, if it's about the tournament, then don't worry about finishing it right now, we still have a few days left in tournament," suggested Frederick.

"Heh, I guess that makes sense," said Chela.

"Of course it does, once the tournament is said and done you can finish your song and you'll have a hit on your hands in no time flat as long as you keep it real," remarked Frederick.

"And if I'm not mistaken, if you sing it well and give the song a good beat," added Sano.

"Hmm, gracias amigos, then I guess I'll go to sleep now, after all, I'm gonna cheering all of you on tomorrow in the second round," commented Chela.

"Ok then, good night and sleep well," replied Sano as Chela walked back into her room.

"Ah, if only I was single, I'd be all over that in no time," stated Frederick as him and Sano continued walking.

"I would too if it weren't for the circumstances we're in right now, I suggest we turn in for the night too so we can have sufficient strength for our fights," responded Sano.

"Yeah, we wanna put on a good show for all the hot mamas here," boasted Frederick.

Just outside the hotel, Ryu and Makoto sat underneath a tree meditating. Both warriors were engrossed in their mental training, not letting any sounds that were audible around them disrupt their training. Just then, Ryu heard someone's voice ask him something.

"Hey, do you guys mind if we join you?"

Ryu and Makoto opened their eyes to see who it was, Brock Irvine, Unoka Muir, and Skye Hawk all stood before them.

"Did you really have to ask if you could join us?" asked Makoto.

"Well we wanted to make sure you guys were comfortable with it," answered Unoka.

"Yeah, we didn't want to feel like we were being bothersome by being here," added Skye.

"The only you can be bothersome is to be ingnorant of learning something new or not wanting to make yourself better than you already are, you are more than welcome to meditate with us," remarked Ryu.

"Well, thank you Ryu, you are a wise warrior," commented Brock.

"This is the life I live. The fight is everything to me," replied Ryu.

"For each of us, fighting is important, however, each of us reasons to fight though," stated Unoka.

"That is true, but as long as we fight for what we believe in, we will always be just in our fighting," commented Skye.

"I couldn't have said it better myself," said Brock.

"I agree with you guys, but I'd say I meditate best in silence," remarked Makoto.

With that, the speaking stopped, and Brock, Unoka, and Skye joined in quiet meditation with Ryu and Makoto. Out by the pool area, Marcos Ortega, Mel Masters, Kiyomi, and Godo Kanzuki reclined on pool chairs talking amongst each other.

"Whew, those matches we had were quite grueling if I do say so myself," remarked Godo.

"I say we haven't seen anything yet as far as this tournament is concerned," replied Marcos.

"What makes you say that?" asked Kiyomi.

"This was only the first round of the tournament, the second round is bound to be more arduous, our opponents will be adding a lot more intensity to their game," answered Marcos.

"I see your point, I know I'll be showing way more intensity, I'll show Mel who truly rocks," taunted Godo.

"Just wait until tomorrow Godo, I don't think you'll be so cocky then," retorted Mel.

"I look forward to it, but if you'll excuse me I'm gonna go call my girl, and then turn in for the night, peace out guys," said Godo.

"I think I'm gonna turn in too, I wanna be rested for my battle with Tomoko," said Kiyomi.

"I'll take you up to your room, hey Marcos, you going to bed man?" asked Mel.

"In a bit, I'm just gonna stay out here and listen to my music for a little while longer, then I'll turn in," answered Marcos.

"All right, see you in the morning buddy," said Mel as he followed Kiyomi inside. Marcos turned up his walkman and started grooving to the rap music emitting from the headphones. As Marcos listened to his tunes, he noticed Tomoko Nakamura walking out towards him wearing a white robe, she sat down on the pool chair next to him and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Oh, how you doing Tomoko?" questioned Marcos.

"I couldn't sleep, so I decided to come out here for some fresh air, I figured maybe that would help me relax," answered Tomoko.

"It works for me a lot of times," responded Marcos.

"You know, I wonder what Zephyr is doing, if he's scheming something at this moment," chimed Tomoko.

"Wouldn't suprise if he was, but I don't care what schemes he comes up with, as long as he pays for what he's done to all of us," replied Marcos.

"You know, I like the fact that you support those you care for so strongly, it makes me wish you weren't taken already," said Tomoko.

"Heh, you want to be my girl, it could happen, but only if things don't work out between me and my current novia. But if anything, you and I make real good friends," commented Marcos.

"I'd say that too, I really enjoy talking to you," remarked Tomoko.

"Same here, we share a lot of common interests," stated Marcos.

"You're right, I feel pretty good now, thanks Marcos," piped Tomoko.

"Hey you're welcome, I'm glad I can help you out, do you think you can sleep now?" asked Marcos.

"Yeah, I'm gonna head back to bed, good night tomodachi," said Tomoko.

"Sleep well, I'll speak to you tomorrow," responded Marcos who also decided it was time for him to hit the sack as well. Later that evening, one of the Illuminati members ran down the halls of the main headquarters yelling for Zephyr at the top of his lungs.

"Master Zephyr, master Zephyr, we have a problem!" hollered the Illuminati member.

"What problem, answer me now!" barked Zephyr.

"The Z File has been stolen from your office," cried out the servant.

"So what, I don't give a shit if those weaklings obtain my file, they can get all the information they want on me it won't do them any good once I eradicate them all, that file will be useless to them for they will all perish by hands!" bellowed Zephyr.

"Yes sir, sorry to bother you master," stammered the servant.

"Leave my sight!" ordered Zephyr.

The Illuminati member hastily turned around and ran off as Zephyr just stared off into space.

"These fighters possess a lot of potential, I'll have to keep a close eye on them, nonetheless, none of them will be powerful enough to stop the inevitable doom I will rain down upon them all," cackled Zephyr.

Zephyr then walked out of the room he was in off to take care of some more shady business.

Author's Note: Sorry if you still have questions after this chapter, they will be answered in the next intermission I swear, however the next one isn't until after the second round which will begin next chapter. The first battle of the second round will be between Alex and Sano Tezuka, get ready for more adrenaline pumping action next chapter, but until then, please read and review.


	41. Round Two, Fight One

**Chapter 40: Round Two, Fight One**

Zephyr's Island, early morning.

As the sun rose again over the island, the arena was once again filled with the loved ones of those fighting in the tournament as the fighters, both those fighting and those already eliminated milled about in the locker rooms. Zephyr even was watching from a boxed in room up at the very top of the arena.

"Another day of seeing insignificant worms struggle for who is mightier among the weaklings," mumbled Zephyr to himself.

As Zephyr and everyone else in the arena paid full attention to whatt was going on down in the ring, Triple R and Sue again took the center stage.

"Alrighty then ladies and gentlemen, are you ready for more ass kicking action? Of course you are," commented Triple R.

"That's right folks, the second round of the tournament is getting started now!" announced Sue.

"So it's time for match number one where we'll see two competitors trying to prove that they have what it takes to be number one at this tournament!" said Triple R.

"Right, so let's bring out the fighters right now," suggested Sue.

"Ok, first up is the pride of Manhattan, the champion from the last tournament who pulled off an amazing victory against Wilfred Black last round. Once again let's hear some noise for Alex!" announced Triple R.

As Alex walked into the ring, he showed the same fierce determination he had on his face in the last round. Alex's attire was different however, this time he stepped out into the ring in green spandex wrestling pants with a yellow stripe running down the sides of the legs and his trademark red headband and green boots. He looked at the crowd and then stretched himself out a bit as he waited.

"And his opponent is Nagoya's Bushin brawler, who gracefully won his match against Quock Xie last round and is aiming to show us more stylish ninja stuff, here he is again folks, Sano Tezuka!" annonced Sue.

Sano sauntered out to the ring immediately upon hearing Sue call out his name, Sano had a confident spring in his step, his attire was also different. Sano was wearing a black shirt with an orange stripe running down the shoulders and a pair of blue jeans with a pair of black sneakers. Sano bowed to Guy, Cody, and Maki upon seeing them in the crowd and then turned to face Alex as Triple R and Sue seated themselves at their announcer's table.

"Round 2, Fight!" announced Triple R and Sue in unison.

Sano rushed in at Alex who immediately took a defensive stance as Sano unleashed a blizzard of attacks, Alex knew that Sano had a speed advantage over him, so he would have to find a way to use Sano's speed against him. Sano aimed a palm strike to Alex's face but Alex hastily grabbed Sano's hand and then spun the Japanese warrior around and grabbed in a choke hold. As Sano gasped for air he started to elbow Alex in the stomach until the New Yorker let him go, Sano then whirled around and unleashed two jabs to the face.

"Criminal Upper!" yelled Sano.

The mini tornado clocked Alex six times and sent him upwards, Alex recovered in mid air and as Sano jumped at the buff blonde warrior for another attack, Alex parried the blow and caught him with his own move.

"Air Knee Raid!" shouted Alex.

Alex shot up into the sky and drove his knee right into Sano's stomach area and planted him right onto the ground. Sano let out a small yelp and then slowly staggered back to his feet. Sano threw out a high kick towards Alex's head, Alex dodged it and aimed a hard hooking punch for Sano who hastily ducked to avoid the blow and then threw out a sweep kick knocking Alex off his feet again, Alex did an ukemi however and then as Sano rushed at him again and threw out an elbow, Alex parried the blow and hit him with three jabs into a Flash Chop and then as Sano reeled back from the Flash Chop, Alex grabbed Sano and suplexed him.

"Damn, that hurt, I gotta be more careful against the champ," mumbled Sano to himself.

"You can't be throwing in the towel already, c'mon now," taunted Alex.

"I'm sure not, we're not even close to being finished yet," retorted Sano.

"Good, now don't disappoint me," replied Alex.

Alex and Sano dashed at each other again and as Sano went for a throw attempt, Alex swatted the ninja's hand away and then grabbed Sano and prepared to throw him again, however as Sano was being hoisted into the air, he wriggled out of Alex's grip and hit the buff blonde warrior with a couple of jabs into a Bushin Senpu Kyaku knocking Alex away and then as Alex started to descend, Sano dashed forward and juggled Alex with another Bushin Senpu Kyaku, knocking Alex even further back.

"That's some impressive juggling act right there. I enjoy this juggling act more than the junk I see at the circus," commented Triple R.

"Well that's because these fighters don't believe in clowning around," replied Sue.

As Alex rose to his feet he saw Sano rush at him and throw out a Genko, Alex promptly parried the rushing punch and grabbed Sano tightly.

"Power Bomb!" yelled Alex.

Alex then lifted Sano high into the air and the leapt upwards and as he started to land he drove Sano into the ground hard on his back and then Alex leapt away after slamming Sano down. Sano writhed on the ground rubbing his back in pain before getting back up and then rushing at Alex again, Alex aimed a swift knee to Sano's stomach, but Sano blocked the attack and hit Alex with a quick cross punch to the face and chained it into a sweep. Alex did yet another ukemi and as Sano aimed a high roundhouse at Alex, the New Yorker ducked under the strike and then smacked Sano with a double hit shoulder tackle which launched Sano into the air. As Sano rose upward, Alex linked his shoulder tackle with an Air Knee Raid again planting Sano onto the ground while driving his knee into Sano's sternum.

"A little known fact about Alex, his chief export is pain, but that could be said for any of the fighters here," announced Triple R.

"Nice, I see you're playing your cards right, but I'm going to cause an upset by taking you out," commented Sano.

"That's a bold statement buddy, I hope you can back it up," responded Alex.

"How about I show you I can?" suggested Sano.

"All right, let's resume our little scuffle," stated Alex.

Alex and Sano rushed at each other, Alex stuck out a kick towards Sano's midsection who quickly blocked the attack and as he tried to counter Alex's blow, he saw Alex's body glow yellow for a brief second and Sano ate a EX Flash Chop which sent him spiraling away from the New Yorker. As Alex darted at Sano, the Bushin ninja did an ukemi and pulled some rocks out of his jeans pocket and chucked them at Alex.

"Bad Stone!" shouted Sano.

The rocks decked Alex across his upper body and as he staggered backwards, Sano followed and and unoaded a quick combo. and then finished off the combo with a Bushin Senpu Kyaku, sending Alex crashing to the ground again. Sano then leapt into the air and stuck out a hard kick, Alex dashed backwards to dodge the blow, causing Sano to whiff completely, Alex then grabbed Sano by his shirt and then pulled him close and struck Sano with a hard head butt. As Sano clutched his forehead in pain, Alex grabbed the Japanese warrior for another Power Bomb. Sano peformed an ukemi again after the Power Bomb and again rubbed his sore back in pain.

"Man, I think Sano should back out of this match before his back gives out, then he'd be a brokeback ninja," commented Triple R.

"Gee, thanks for the lame joke Rick," grumbled Sue.

"Uh, you're welcome I think," replied Triple R.

Alex went for a Slash Elbow as Sano was recovering from the Power Bomb, Sano hastily parried the blow and then knocked Alex away with a Reppukyaku, Alex did an ukemi and as Sano rushed at him, he found Alex jumping towards him and trapping him in a Spiral DDT.

"Easy Sano, remember, a true Bushin warrior can topple any wall with enough effort," said Guy from the stands.

Sano leapt into the air and then as he descended down Alex prepared to counter the possible hit with an Air Knee Raid but Sano had a surprise in store for the buff blonde.

"Ajaru Tengu!" yelled Sano.

Sano grabbed Alex and held tightly to him and started to ricochet off the walls of the arena slamming Alex head first into the wall each time. After about four ricochets, Sano leapt high into the air, did a 180 degree turn and spiraled downwards dropping Alex onto his head.

"Damn, I didn't see that coming, but if I want answers from Gill, I have to get back up and keep fighting," grumbled Alex to himself as he rose again.

"Heh, I might have known that wouldn't have been enough to take you down, well then, I'll just do what I have to in order to pull off this upset," taunted Sano.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but that won't happen any time soon," remarked Alex.

"We shall see about that!" shouted Sano as he ran at Alex again, Alex took a defensive postion again as Sano unleashed a flurry of attacks in an attempt to overwhelm Alex with lightning quick strikes, his attempt to bewilder the previous tournament's champion failed however as Alex parried a blow from Sano, smacked him with three jabs and then unleashed his own super move.

"You can't escape! Hyper Bomb!" bellowed Alex.

Alex suplexed Sano and then flipped himself over Sano and suplexed him again, and then hoisted Sano over his head and jumped incredibly high into the air and brought Sano down with a more powerful version of his Power Bomb. Sano yelped out in pain as he hit the ground. Alex wiped the sweat dripping down his face as he finished his super and waited to see if Sano would get back up.

"After a move like the Hyper Bomb, I think I may need to go see the chiropractor," remarked Triple R.

"Sano may need one, but he's still getting up to fight again, what a tough young ninja boy," commented Sue.

"Heh, you managed to get up after my most powerful attack, that's an impressive feat right there. I like you kid," stated Alex.

"Well, I'm glad to hear you say that, but don't think I'll let you off easily with flattery, I still aim to defeat you," retorted Sano.

"Good, I don't want you to let me win, that would make for an empty victory," said Alex.

Alex and Sano dashed at each other again and started to go at each other again, Sano shot forth a Genko and Alex parried the blow and stuck out a Flash Chop which Sano parried, Sano then stuck out a Reppukyaku, Alex parried all the blows from that and jumped into the air and smacked Sano with an Air Stampede as he planted both boots into Sano's ribs. Sano cried out in pain again as Alex jumped off of him.

"Sano, c'mon, don't get killed out there!" cried out Maki.

"Hey honey, don't worry, he's tough, we raised him to be a fighter, I'm sure he'll be able to handle something like that," commented Cody.

Cody was correct, Sano slowly got back to his feet and wiped blood away from his mouth. Fatigue was starting to set in him and he knew he couldn't take too much more of Alex's powerful blows. He looked over at Alex who again wiped the sweat from his head.

"Damn kid, you don't know when to quit do you? Good, it's nice to fight someone that can handle all the shit that I throw at them, but sadly, this will have to end some time," remarked Alex.

"I know, and it'll end when you are on the ground unable to get up," replied Sano.

"Holy shit, Sano's still fighting, is he gonna even be the same anymore if he continues fighting?" inquired Triple R.

"I've seen fighters get injured worse and come back to fight again, so probably yes," answered Sue.

Sano darted towards Alex again, Alex threw out a hook punch which Sano blocked, Sano aimed a roundhouse at Alex and connected, Sano then followed up with a jab into a Genko, Alex did an ukemi again and did a crouching punch into a Flash Chop and then grabbed Sano in a sleeper hold. Sano gasped for air as Alex gripped the Bushin warrior tightly. Sano started to elbow Alex in the stomach again, eventually forcing the blonde brawler to release his yhold on the Japanese fighter. Sano turned around and decided to pull out a risky card with a super move.

"Final Destruction!" hollered Sano.

Sano darted forward with a rushing jab in an attempt to nail Alex with a super to keep him down, much to Sano's dismay though, the jab was parried thus completly snuffing Sano's super.

"He survived the Hyper Bomb, I'll have to go even bigger in order to keep this kid down," thought Alex to himself.

Alex grabbed Sano by the shirt again and hit the ninja with another head butt, causing Sano to stagger about all dizzy. Alex's body began to glow a bright red as energy gathered into him, and Alex prepared to go a step beyond super moves with something more powerful, the Hyper Art.

"You can't escape, Atomic Bomb!" screamed Alex.

Alex threw out a flurry of Flash Chops, after about four of them, he grabbed Sano by his shirt again and hit him with eight rapid fire head butts, Alex then linked the head butts into two suplexes, one right after the other. After the second suplex, Alex hoisted Sano above his head again and jumped into the air as if he were doing the Hyper Bomb, upon slamming Sano down, he did not release him, instead, he hoisted the Japanese fighter above his head again, jumped even higher, and brought him down with a second Power Bomb to close out his Hyper Art. Alex jumped away as Sano landed hard on his back.

"I can't take any more shit like that," grumbled Sano who didn't even make an attempt to get up since he was in an enormous amount of pain.

"Yow, and what an explosive finish to the first match of the second round!" shouted Triple R.

"Indeed, Sano was blown away by all that sheer power, thus making the winner of this match Alex!" announced Sue.

Alex raised his fist to the crowd causing nearly everyone to cheer loudly, Alex turned over to Sano and helped the battered ninja up.

"Oh, man you're strong, you've shown that there is indeed something special in you like Gill said," gasped Sano.

"You're a resilient one too, I know that whatever you set your mind to, that you'll be able to accomplish," replied Alex.

"Thanks, and I hope you or whoever else faces Zephyr disposes of him that way I can effectively resume my original quest," said Sano.

"Which is to do what?" asked Alex.

"To avenge the murder of my birth parents," answered Sano.

"Well that's a noble cause, I wish you luck in that," said Alex.

"Domo arigato," replied Sano.

Alex then helped Sano back into the locker area where the medics were likely waiting for the both of them, especially Sano after all the powerful blows he suffered, plus they wanted to allow the tournament to continue forth.

Author's Note: Well, sorry for the long time between updates again, my new job at Safeway takes up a lot of my time now. But anyways, I hope you all liked this match. Thanks goes to DeNice for the idea of Hyper Arts, I hope you like the one I made for Alex. Well the next chapter will be the match betweent Sean Matsuda and Xavier Jackson. How will Ken's first student fare against the king of the wrestling world? You'll have to wait until the next update, but until then, please read and review.


	42. Round Two, Fight Two

**Chapter 41: Round Two, Fight Two**

Zephyr's Island, early morning

Inside the locker room, Sean Matsuda and Xavier Jackson awaited their upcoming match against one another. The two stood just a few feet away from the double doors waiting for Triple R and Sue to announce them. Sean turned to the tall dark skinned wrestler.

"Good luck out there, may the best man win," commented Sean.

"Yeah, same to you buddy, but don't be sore when I beat ya," boasted Xavier.

Out in the arena, Triple R and Sue walked out to the center of the ring and picked up their microphones again to announce the next match.

"Well, the first match was a feast for the eyes, but I'm still hungry, so we're gonna get a second helping of some awesome action with the second match of the second round.

"That's right, and I'm sure these seconds won't be sloppy in any way," added Sue.

"First up is the Ansatsuken aficionado from Rio de Janeiro. He really put Yun on ice last round and he's ready to ice another opponent, once again, here is Sean Matsuda!" announced Triple R.

As Sean entered the ring he smiled brightly, as if he was simply happy just to be fighting. Sean was clothed differently for this match. He wore a long green jacket with a yellow tank top, and green basketball shorts over his yellow gi pants. Sean looked over at his sensei, Ken and gave him a thumbs up before turning his attention to the double doors.

"And his opponent is a favorite of the conosseiurs of the CWA. After putting the one-two-three on Hans Van Bratten, he's aiming to pin down another victory. So here is again man, the one and only Xavier Jackson!" announced Sue.

As Xavier entered the ring, he stood tall and proud as he sauntered out to face Sean. Xavier was clad in a black Mexican wrestler's mask to pay homage to his early days as a pro wrestler as well as black spandex pants and black boots. The tall black man eyeballed the Brazilian warrior while his manager, Mika waved her "X-Clamation 4 Life" sign wildly in the air as Triple R and Sue ran over to their announcer's table.

"Round 2, Fight!" yelled Triple R and Sue in unison.

Sean and Xavier circled each other, Xavier lunged forward to grab Sean, but the Brazilian warrior instinctively evaded the grab and then swept the tall wrestler off his feet with a swift kick. Xavier reacted with an ukemi and then rushed at Sean again throwing out a right hand, Sean parried the blow and struck Xavier with his own right, Xavier took the hit right on the chin but then snagged Sean and held tight to him.

"Spine Buster!" shouted Xavier.

Xavier lifted Sean up into the air and brought Sean down hard spine first onto his knee. Sean grunted in pain as he bounced onto the ground.

"Yow, I'm glad Sean isn't spineless, but I don't know if having a busted spine is any better than having no spine," commented Triple R.

"I think both choices suck equally," replied Sue.

Xavier tried to stomp on Sean while the Brazilian Ansatsuken warrior was still down, but Sean rolled out of the way just as Xavier's boot came down. Sean put his palms forward as he stood up.

"Hadoken!" yelled Sean.

The light blue ball of ki surged forth from Sean's palms and hit Xavier causing him to stagger backwards., Sean followed in his Hadoken with a Sean tackle knocking Xavier down and then he laid two punches into the wrestler's sternum and jumped off of him afterwards.

"Heh, nice move, I might use that one day for a wrestling match," spoke Xavier as he got up.

"I'm flattered, but still I have to flatten you right now, no hard feelings," responded Sean.

Sean and Xavier rushed at each other again, Sean stuck out a jab, but Xavier parried the attack and hit Sean with a hard haymaker before grabbing the Ansatsuken fighter in a bear hug and squeezing him tightly, Sean cried out in pain as he tried to break Xavier's grip on him, but to no avail, Xavier just wouldn't let go. Sean then got an idea to use his head, literally, Sean cocked his head back and decked Xavier hard in the nose with a head butt causing the wrestler to drop Sean and clutch his nose in pain. Sean then peformed a quick combo on Xavier, ending it with a Cold Dragon Smash. Xavier was encircled in frozen ki as he rose up into the air, the ice shattered around him as he hit the ground.

"Brr, I get the chills just looking at tthat move in action," commented Triple R.

Sean rushed at Xavier again with a Sean Tackle, however Xavier attempted a Flying Clothesline at the same time and wound up sailing completely over Sean's head. Xavier turned around after missing and before Sean could react he was caught in another Spine Buster. Sean got back up quickly and leapt into the air.

"Tatsumakisenpukyaku!" yelled Sean.

Sean spun about with one leg jutting outward and hit Xavier five times with his outstretched leg. As Xavier recovered from the five kicks, he attempted to grab Sean again, but Sean quickly dodged again and then flung the wrestler over his shoulder and onto the ground Xavier rolled back to his feet quickly and then parried a Hadoken fired at him as he rose.

"Heh, this is quite a workout, but I expected that coming from you," commented Xavier.

"Expect even more, for this workout is only going to get more intense," replied Sean.

Sean and Xavier rushed at each other again, Xavier aimed a knee at Sean who parried the attack and tried to throw Xavier again, however, the tall fighter broke the throw attempt and threw out a move of his own.

"Grape Squisher!" hollered Xavier.

Xavier shot forth his foot and kicked Sean square in the face with such force that Sean was immediately floored, Xavier wasted no time in proceeded to stomp Sean multiple times.

"Ouch, those poor grapes, and Sean's poor ribs, that's gotta hurt bit time," commented Triple R.

While getting stomped on, Sean started to gather ki into his fist and rose up into the air again.

"Cold Dragon Smash!" screamed Sean.

Xavier was once again smacked across the face with frozen ki, as Sean knocked him upwards, he finished off with a double axe handle punch to knock Xavier to the ground, Xavier shivered as he got back to his feet, but then ran at Sean and leapt at him wrapping his legs around Sean's neck.

"Hurricanrana!" hollered Xavier.

Xavier looped around Sean and using his mighty leg strength, chucked the Brazilian to the ground. Sean did an ukemi however and then as he saw Xavier chase him down, Sean retaliated with one of his other special moves.

"Ryubi Kyaku!" yelled Sean.

Sean leapt forward in a rainbow like pattern hitting Xavier over the head with a powerful kick, Sean then chained the Ryubi Kyaku into a combo, and knocked Xavier away with another Tatsumakisenpukyaku. Xavier got up and adjusted his mask because it was falling over his eyes, and he saw Sean leap at him, Xavier sprang up and immediately prepared to counter.

"Flying Clothesline!" shouted Xavier.

Xavier jumped into the air with his right arm outstretched and smacked Sean clear across his stomach causing Sean to flip around in mid air and land hard on his back.

"And Xavier spins Sean around like a record, hopefully Sean won't be a broken record though," announced Sue.

Sean sprang back to his feet however and leapt into the air again, Xavier tried to snuff Sean with a Chest Slap but Sean parried in mid air and hit Xavier with a jumping fierce punch into a standing uppercut and Sean's body glowed a bright blue as he unleashed a super move into Xavier.

"Mega Hadou Burst!" bellowed Sean.

Sean fired a Hadou Burst forward but immediately after that one came out, he shot forth another one, firing five in succession altogether, Xavier flew back upon getting nailed with the fifth one and lie on the floor groaning in pain.

"Xavier, do what you have to in order to win, your job depends on it!" yelled Mika from the crowd.

Xavier nodded and stood up, Sean resumed his fighting pose again and leapt in with another Ryubi Kyaku, Xavier parried this time and countered with his own super move in an effort to get ahead in the battle.

"Poison Mist!" roared Xavier.

Xavier spit forth a green cloud of mist from his mouth into Sean's face, Sean felt his eyes burning in pain as Xavier started to unload a flurry of kicks into the blinded Brazilian fighter. Sean hit the ground and started rubbing his eyes frantically.

"Xavier, blind with anger, leaves Sean blind and battered with that Poison Mist move, and it seems that poison is deadly!" commented Triple R.

"Get up Sean, don't let that attack overcome you, use your other senses to stay in this!" called out Ken.

Even though Sean's vision was impaired, his hearing worked just fine and upon hearing Ken's words, slowly rose up, Xavier looked on puzzled.

"What the hell are you thinking, you must like getting beaten senseless," taunted Xavier.

"Don't get cocky, I can beat you with my eyes closed, I'm sure of it!" retorted Sean.

"Heh, you sound cockier than I do, time to leave you black and blue there black belt!" remarked Xavier as he rushed in on the blind Sean.

Sean stayed put, listening to the sound of Xavier's footsteps approaching him, Xavier threw out a left hook towards Sean's cheek, Sean shot his hand up to block and grabbed Xavier's fist successfully. Xavier's eyes bulged at the sight of that, he ducked down and tried to sweep Sean who jumped up and then fired a Hadoken into Xavier's face and again followed in up with a Sean Tackle.

"Whoa, and Sean is still giving a good fight, I'm amazed!" gasped Sue.

"Damn, I'm gonna have to fake him out somehow and go for the win that way," thought Xavier to himself.

As Xavier got up, he faked a jab causing Sean to throw up his guard. Xavier's body glowed red as he prepared to unleash his Hyper Art in an attempt to win.

"Double X-Clamation Point!" roared Xavier.

Xavier grabbed Sean and threw him at the wall so hard, that Sean bounced back towards Xavier who immediately suplexed him twice in a row and then with Sean still in his grip leapt into the air, turned Sean upside down and then dove downwards driving Sean head first onto the ground. But that wasn't it, for Xavier repeated the process one more time with another X-Clamation Point. Upon finishing that one, Xavier backed away, and raised his fist into the air confident that he had won the match.

"Hey, don't count me out yet man," grumbled Sean who amazingly was rising up again, Xavier sighed out of disbelief.

"That didn't finish you off, my God, you're driving me nuts, fuck!" exclaimed Xavier.

Xavier ran at Sean again thinking one good blow should be enough to take him down. Sean immediately ducked down and Xavier with a crouching strong punch and into a low kick and his body began to glow red as Sean unleashed his Hyper Art.

"Tatsumaki Senpu Blizzard!" hollered Sean.

Frozen ki gathered into Sean's legs and then he started off his Hyper Art much like Ken's Shippu Jinrai Kyaku, the frozen ki amplified the pain that Xavier was feeling from the kicks. Sean then rose into the air with an elongated Tatsumakisenpukyaku, hitting Xavier a total of fifteen times, Xavier went crashing to the ground and the frozen ki also dissipated from his body as he fell down. Sean descended a few seconds later.

"Unbelieveable!" gasped Xavier as he failed in his attempt to rise back up.

"Oh my gosh, and this match has a wicked cool finish, literally, it was ice cold!"commented Triple R.

"Yes, and the winner of this match is none other than Sean Matsuda!" announced Sue.

Mika stared in astonishment at Xavier's defeat, Ken congratulated Sean and threw down a bottle of water to him to flush out the mist from his eyes. As the water poured over Sean, he regained his vision, and upon getting it readjusted, he walked over to Xavier and helped him up.

"Damn man, that was insane, you Ansatsuken guys are freaking strong, but that was fun anyways," rasped Xavier.

"You're good too, just work on your ego a bit, and you'd be really deadly as a fighter, I'm sure you'll get your job back no problem," replied Sean.

"You sure about that?" asked Xavier.

"Of course, it was Zephyr that caused you to be terminated, so once he's out of the picture, you'll be back in the CWA entertaining folks all over the world in no time, and I'll definitely watch," answered Sean.

"Thanks man, hopefully you'll come out to one of my shows one day," said Xavier.

"I wouldn't miss it buddy," replied Sean.

Sean and Xavier then departed the arena to thunderous applause as the next combatants awaited their turn to fight.

Author's Note: Well, another match down, how you liking it so far. Sean's really improved since Third Strike eh, well him and Mel are the next generation of Ansatsuken so they have some big shoes to fill as Ryu and Ken's successors. Speaking of Mel Masters, the next match will be between him and Godo Kanzuki, how will Ken's son fare against Karin's son in this match between two rich kids. You'll find out next chapter, until then however, please read and review.


	43. Round Two, Fight Three

**Chapter 42: Round Two, Fight Three**

Zephyr's Island, mid morning

Outside in the arena where all the spectators were sitting, both Ken Masters and Karin Kanzuki were excited, for their sons, Mel Masters and Godo Kanzuki were scheduled to fight against each other next.

"Oh boy, I can't wait to see my son wipe the floor with your son Ken," taunted Karin.

"Are you so sure about that, I think my son is going to be the one that sis dominant in this match," replied Ken.

"Wanna make a bet on it?" asked Karin.

"You're on!" answered Ken.

"A million dollars that Godo will win," barked out Karin.

"A million, that's chump change, I bet ten million that Mel will win, and if he does, you have to mow my lawn," retorted Ken.

"Deal, and if Godo wins, you have to clean my pool," responded Karin.

"It's a deal," said Ken.

"Heh, I'm interested to see how this little wager turns out," chimed in Dudley.

Ken and Karin shook hands to seal the deal, at that moment, Triple R and Sue walked out to the ring to announce the next fight.

"Alrighty then folks, we're in the money with this match, because both competitors in this match come from families who are freaking wealthy!" announced Triple R.

"Indeed, and we're also sure this match will be rich with excitement, so let's bring out the competitors," added Sue.

"First up is the San Francisco's young master of martial arts who effortlessly beat his cousin Amy last round and is prepped to leave his opponent rich with pain, here comes Mel Masters!" announced Triple R.

Mel walked out into the ring confidently upon hearing his name, Mel stepped out to the center of the ring clothed in a sky blue gi with a dark blue head band to keep his spiky blonde hair in check. He bowed to his father upon seeing him in the crowd and then focused his eyes on the double doors to the ring.

"And his opponent is Tokyo's teenage tycoon, and the heir to the Kanzuki zaibatsu is aiming to take the air out of his adversary, just like how he did last round with his science teacher Mitsukake Kagatoshi, so let's hear it again for Godo Kanzuki!" announced Sue.

Godo stepped out into the ring also highly confident, almost borderline cocky, he had a somewhat arrogant smirk on his face as he looked at Mel. Godo was clothed in a white T-shirt with a red sweater vest over it, red pants, and red and white sneakers, he looked and his mother and did the Kanzuki family laugh with her and then turned to face Mel again as Triple R and Sue got back to their announcer's table.

"Round 2, Fight!" announced Triple R and Sue in unison.

Godo immediately leapt into the air and aimed a palm strike at Mel's face, Mel jumped back to avoid the blow and then aimed a roundhouse for Godo's chest which Godo blocked. Godo threw out another palm strike which Mel parried and then countered with a sweep making Godo fall down. However, Godo did an ukemi and then as he saw Mel aim for a gut punch, Godo parried the blow and then smacked Mel in the sternum with a palm strike causing Mel to stagger backwards. Godo then dashed forward and tried to grab Mel, but Mel pushed his Japanese counterpart away and then hit Godo with a roundhouse to the face, Godo reeled back as Mel grabbed Godo by his vest and slammed him to the ground.

"Aw, poor little rich kid," commented Triple R.

"Boy, that's an old saying," grumbled Sue.

"Yeah, but it fits for this fight eh," replied Triple R.

Godo rose up and as Mel stuck out an attack, Godo dodged the blow and hit Mel with a Gurenken knocking his blonde opponent down, Mel performed his ukemi and then as Godo came at him, Godo then began to resume the offensive as Mel rose up.

"Ressen Ha!" shouted Godo.

The young Kanzuki heir hopped up into the air and came down aiming to strike Mel with two hard palm strikes, as Mel saw it coming he gathered ki into his fist and prepared to counter Godo's attack..

"Shoryuken!" yelled Mel.

Flaming ki surrounded Mel's fist as he rose into the air and smacked Godo three times with his fiery fist. Godo flew backwards about eight feet and landed on the ground hard, the flames fizzled out as Godo made contact with the steel covered canvas. Godo slowly got back up and shook his head to regain his composure, Godo then saw Mel leap into the air and prepare to dive down upon the Japanese fighter.

"Jackknife Drop!" hollered Mel.

Mel darted downwards legs first towards Godo who dashed backwards to avoid getting smacked across the top of the head. As Mel landed on the ground, Godo rushed forward smacking Mel with another Gurenken chained into a Mujin Kyaku. Mel flew upwards and then crashed down hard.

"Hey Sue, it looks like Godo likes to kick up trouble doesn't it?" inquired Triple R.

"Well he does when it involves kicking someone else around," answered Sue.

Mel got up, rolled towards Godo and then before Godo could react, Mel smacked Godo with a move of his own.

"Springboard 1080!" yelled Mel.

Mel kicked Godo high into the air and as the rich Japanese warrior sailed upwards, Mel leapt up in pursuit and stretching both legs out spun around three times hitting Godo with six powerful kicks, while still airborne, Mel smacked Godo across the head with an ax kick sending Godo crashing to the ground.

"I never got why he calls that move Springboard 1080, I get the springboard part, but why the number 1080?" asked Triple R.

"Well Rick it's simple, a full circle is 360 degrees. Mel spins around three times, 360 multiplied by three comes to 1080 degrees," answered Sue.

"Oh, I hate math," grumbled Triple R.

"Heh, not bad, but since I have more class than you, it's only natural that I will be the victor," taunted Godo.

"Yeah right, I don't think you need manners to win a fight, so prepare yourself," replied Mel.

Mel and Godo rushed at each other again, Godo aimed a snap kick at Mel's stomach, Mel parried the attack and hit with a punch to the chest and chained the punch into a Hadoken knocking Godo back, Mel then ran at Godo and threw out a jab, but Godo was prepared for that.

"Yasha Gaeshi!" shouted Godo.

Godo caught Mel's fist and then countered with two hard simultaneous palm strikes. Mel flew upwards but recovered in the air as Godo walked towards him. Godo tried another Ressen Ha but Mel jumped backwards just in time to dodge the blow. Mel then dashed forward and aimed a high roundhouse at Godo's head, Godo ducked under the roundhouse, Godo tried to sweep Mel but Mel leapt upwards to avoid Godo's legs, Mel countered with two low kicks and chained it into another special move.

"Tornado!" bellowed Mel.

Mel spun forward with both legs up, alternating between each leg and kicking Godo a total of four times, as Mel landed, he threw out a cross punch at Godo at the same time Godo aimed for a palm strike in the same place, both hits connected and the two warriors staggered away from one another.

"You just don't get it do you, why resist defeat?" asked Godo.

"I should be asking you that, my dad defeated you'r mom before, so by law, history should repeat itself," retorted Mel.

"Well, that's what you're gonna be, history!" called out Godo.

"We'll see who's history once this match is over," responded Mel.

Mel and Godo ran at each other again, Godo aimed a roundhouse at Mel, Mel grabbed Godo's leg and swept his other one. Godo fell to the ground but did and ukemi as Mel put his palms together.

"Hadoken!" yelled Mel.

Godo reacted instinctively and jumped over the Hadoken, only to find himself on the receiving end of yet another Shoryuken from Mel. Godo once again found himself lit ablaze and flying backwards.

"Now that's some hot stuff, the Shoryuken is quite a hot ticket isn't it," commented Triple R.

"C'mon Godo, a Kanzuki is always the winner of everything!" cried out Karin.

Mel leapt into the air to attack Godo with another Jackknife Drop, but did not see Godo charge up for his super move.

"Here we go, Kou'ou Ken!" hollered Godo.

Godo leapt up into the air as if he were doing a Ressen Ha and then repeatedly pelted Mel with a series of strong palm strikes. Mel flew backwards and fell hard on his back, the blonde warrior groaned in pain, but slowly got back up, Godo took his fighting stance again as Mel got up.

"Oh, you're still not satisfied with that beating, guess I'll have to give you more," said Godo.

"Yeah, show me what you got!" called out Mel.

Godo rushed at Mel and threw out a Gurenken, Mel blocked the entire attack but Godo still remained on the offensive, he then went for a Mujin Kyaku but his attack was parried and Mel countered with a standing fierce and chained that into his own super.

"Hyper Tornado!" called out Mel.

Mel darted forward and rammed into Godo with his shoulder and then unloaded a flurry of punches and kicks and lifted Godo up with a more powerful Tornado and then sent Godo crashing down with a Ryubi Kyaku.

"Ooh, your son is really pissing me off," pouted Karin.

"Aw, don't be a sore loser, heh!" laughed Ken.

Godo slowly rose to his feet and him and Mel gazed at each other for a brief moment before going at each other's throats again. Godo aimed a knee strike at Mel, but it was parried and Mel went for a high kick to the head, Godo tilted his head back just out of the hit box of Mel's foot. Godo then grabbed Mel by his gi shirt and slammed him down to the ground, Mel did an ukemi immediately upon touching the canvas and saw Godo aim for a Ressen Chou, Mel dodged the blow and then hit Godo with a jab and immediately followed it up with a Shoryuken knocking Godo down once again.

"Damn it, I'm sick of that fucking move, I have to pull out the heavy artillery here," mumbled Godo to himself.

Godo got back to his feet and saw Mel dart towards him with a Tornado, Godo parried all the hits of the Tornado and then his body started to glow red as he unleashed his Hyper Art.

"Shinpikaikou'ou Ken!" screamed Godo.

Godo started off his Hyper Art as if he were doing a Shinpikaibyaku, towards the end of the initial super Godo was drawing from for the Hyper Art, Godo did a Mujin Kyaku to knock Mel upwards and then ended his Hyper Art with the Kou'ou Ken super. Mel crashed down to the ground and grumbled something incoherent.

"I've heard Godo is a big pimp with the ladies, but damn, he really pimp slapped Mel with that attack!" announced Triple R.

"He sure did, has Godo fulfilled the Kanzuki family motto?" inquired Sue.

"Oh yeah, hey pool boy, I expect you to be in a Speedo while cleaning the pool," taunted Karin who did the Kanzuki family laugh.

"I wouldn't make any plans to spend a day looking at my junk, for this match aint over yet, look," replied Ken pointing at the arena.

What Ken was pointing at was Mel slowly rising, Mel grunted a bit as he rose up but he was back on his feet and ready to roll, Mel wiped his sweat from his head as he looked at a shocked Godo. Karin's eyes widened as she huffed out of frustration.

"I will the be the winner, a Kanzuki always get what he wants, and I want this victory!" shouted Godo.

"Enough chatter, if you think you can finish, come at me now!" retorted Mel.

"It's your funeral," said Godo as he ran at Mel.

As Godo dashed at Mel he leapt into the air and aimed for a Ressen Ha, Mel parried the attack and hit Godo in the head with a roundhouse so hard that it stunned Godo. Mel gathered ki into his body and started to glow red as he announced his Hyper Art.

"Shin Hado Shoryuken!" roared Mel.

Blue lightning surged from Mel's palms as a super powerful Hadoken emitted from Mel's hands, as the powered up Hadoken sped towards Godo, Mel ran towards Godo, following his projectile closely, as the Hadoken hit Godo five times Mel emulated his father's classic super move the Shoryu Reppa for the finish, but at the end of the Shoryu Reppa, he fired forth another super powerful Hadoken right into Godo's stomach sending Godo right down to the ground with a loud thud.

"This sucks so bad," gasped Godo as he tried to rise but just fell back down grimacing from the pain that was coursing through his body.

"Well, this stock market of a match is closed since Godo has crashed," stated Sue.

"That's right, that makes the winner of this match Mel Masters!" announced Triple R.

Mel flashed the peace sign, much like how his father would do after a victory.

"Aw, this really blows big time," huffed Karin.

"I want you to do a really good job on my lawn Karin, don't worry about me putting you in anything humiliating though, it's already bad enough my lawn will take two days for you alone to complete," replied Ken.

"Wow, that big, that sucks for you Karin," commented Chun-Li.

Mel turned to Godo after about a minute and helped the battered rich kid to his feet.

"Hey dude, you feeling all right?" asked Mel.

"Mentally, yeah, and the pain will go away later, bu the fact that the Kanzuki zaibatsu is still in danger really bothers me," gasped Godo.

"Hey, you got me to fight for you man, you also have everyone else here fighting for you, we may have to fight each other, but we're all still a team, I assure you that the Kanzuki zaibatsu will remain in your family's possession," said Mel.

"Heh, yeah, seeing how you fight, I can believe that," replied Godo.

"Well, let's go get ourselves checked out, I hope to face you again one day though, so keep training man," stated Mel.

Godo nodded in affirmation as him and Mel exited the arean to applause.

Author's Note: Another match done, I thought having Ken and Karin bet on this match would add a little humor to this serious minded fic. But anyways, the next chapter will be charged by girl power as Tomoko Nakamura squares off with Kiyomi, which of these two sexy sirens will be victorious in the battle, you'll find out next chapter. Until then however, please read and review.


	44. Round Two, Fight Four

**Chapter 43: Round Two, Fight Four**

Zephyr's Island, late morning

Inside the locker room, Tomoko Nakamura and Kiyomi were getting prepped for thier match against each other. Kiyomi was stretching out her legs while Tomoko was busy cleaning her thick biker chain, the two eyed each other for a brief moment as if to say good luck to each other and then resumed what they were doing. Mel, Marcos, and Godo all walked out to wish their friends good luck.

"Hey ladies, we just wanted to say good luck in your upcoming match," said Godo.

"Yeah, try to keep it friendly too, don't kill each other out there," added Marcos.

"Don't worry, we won't kill each other," stated Tomoko.

"Yeah, but hey, I thought Sean would wish us luck too," commented Kiyomi.

"I thought so too, but he sends his best wishes, he's too busy being all mushy with Ibuki," stated Mel.

Everyone laughed at Mel's comment. Out in the arena, Triple R and Sue took their positions to announce the next fight.

"Ok folks, time for some more sexy time in this updocming match, for this a battle to make you drool with desire and lust," commented Triple R.

"Uh, for you guys at least, but we're in for some good action anyways," replied Sue.

"First up is Tokyo's biker babe who caused Chela Castillo to crash in the first round and is looking to demolish another opponent in her wake, here is once again, Tomoko Nakamura!" announced Triple R.

Tomoko stepped out into the ring as many of the male spectators focused their gaze on her. Tomoko was clothed in a gray and black camoflauge tank top, with matching camoflauge pants and black boots. She looked over at E. Honda who nodded to her, she bowed to the sumo wrestler before turning and facing the double doors to the arena.

"And her opponent is Beijing's beautiful brawler who pulled an upset over Makoto last round as is ready to show you everything her adoptive mother taught her, once again, make noise for Kiyomi!" announced Sue.

Kiyomi stepped out from the double doorsand heard Chun-Li's thunderous applause for her. Kiyomi was dressed in a blue jacket with a black midriff shirt underneath, the shirt had some intricate Chinese design on it. She also wore a khaki colored pair of pants, and white sneakers. Kiyomi stared deeply at Tomoko with a lot of intensity, Triple R and Sue headed back to the announcer's booth immediately.

"Round 2, Fight!" yelled Triple R and Sue in unison.

Tomoko wasted no time rushing in at her Chinese opponent. Kiyomi took a defensive stance as Tomoko threw a hard punch towards her face, Kiyomi blocked the attack and then aimed a knee at Tomoko's stomach, Tomoko pushed the knee away and then hit Kiyomi in the chest with a roundhouse.

"Ouch, those poor girls, and yeah, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about," commented Triple R.

"Oh God Rick, already with the innuendo, damn it," grumbled Sue.

As Kiyomi staggered back from the roundhouse, Tomoko tried to sweep Kiyomi but Kiyomi jumped straight up over Tomoko's leg and then retaliated with her own sweep knocking Tomoko right off her feet. Tomoko did an ukemi and as Kiyomi ran at her and threw out a kick to Tomoko's face. Tomoko cocked her head back to avoid the kick and then grabbed Kiyomi by her shirt and slammed her to the ground. Kiyomi quickly sprang back up to her feet and jumped into the air and threw out a roundhouse, Tomoko blocked the attack and aimed another jab at Kiyomi, the Chinese girl swatted her Japanese opponent's hand away and kicked Tomoko in the stomach.

"Hyakuretsu Kyaku!" yelled Kiyomi.

A lightning fast barrage of kicks pelted Tomoko and knocked the biker down to the ground.

"Oh and Kiyomi shows us what those strong yet ever so sexy legs are capable of. I'd like to see what else those legs are good for," commented Triple R.

"I'll show what my legs can do, but you won't like it," remarked Sue.

"I think I'll pass on that offer," replied Triple R.

As Tomoko got up, she saw Kiyomi rush at her, Tomoko thought quickly and skidded her boot along the ground.

"Dust Choker!" shouted Tomoko.

A cloud of dust emitted from Tomoko's boot and wafted over to Kiyomi, the thick dust cloud made Kiyomi gag and cough, Tomoko darted over to Kiyomi and unloaded a combo into her which knocked Kiyomi to the ground hard. Kiyomi did an ukemi and saw Tomoko jump at her with a roundhouse, Kiyomi immediately prepared to counter Tomoko's attack.

"Tensho Kyaku!" screamed Kiyomi.

Kiyomi rose into the air with her right leg jutting out and spun around three times, also kicking Tomoko that exact same number of times, Tomoko sailed back and hit the ground, but did an ukemi in order to help her recover faster.

"Well Tomoko is the recipient of some tough love, I'd like to show her tough love too," commented Triple R.

"Please let this match end soon so he'll quit with those damn perverted comments," thought Sue to herself.

"Kikoken!" yelled Kiyomi.

A blue ball of ki flew towards Tomoko, who immediately pulled out her biker chain and whipped it in front of her. The force of steel clashing with the Kikoken sent the projectile back at Kiyomi who had to dive out of the way of her own attack.

"Well aren't you a clever fighter," said Kiyomi.

"That I am, and I'm tough as nails too, and I'm gonna nail you good!" taunted Tomoko.

"The nail always loses to the hammer though, so I'm going to be the hammer here," replied Kiyomi.

Tomoko ran at Kiyomi again, Kiyomi took her defensive stance, but didn't see what Tomoko had planned to throw her off guard.

"Rubber Burn!" shouted Tomoko.

Tomoko slid on the ground hurtling feet first at Kiyomi and the speed at which Tomoko collided with Kiyomi caused the Chinese fighter to fly upwards, flip over in the air and fall hard on her back on the ground. As Kiyomi lay on the ground, Tomoko tried to whip her with the biker chain she was carrying. Kiyomi reacted quickly and grabbed Tomoko's chain before it could hit her. Kiyomi then got up, and pulled on the chain, which brought Tomoko close to her and Kiyomi unloaded another Hyakuretsu Kyaku into the Japanese biker babe. Tomoko flew back down to the ground and did an ukemi to get back on her feet faster. As Tomoko rose she saw Kiyomi flip herself upside down.

"Spinning Bird Kick!" yelled Kiyomi.

Tomoko dodged the attack and then before Kiyomi could recover from the wiffed Spinning Bird Kick, Tomoko grabbed Kiyomi and threw her again, as Kiyomi slowly go up, Tomoko started up a Hundred Hand Slap, riddling Kiyomi with numerous palm strikes.

"Oh, and Tomoko is bitch slapping Kiyomi with that Hundred Hand Slap, I wonder if Tomoko likes to get spanked," stated Triple R.

"One day, I'm going to smack you upside the head," remarked Sue.

As Kiyomi recovered from Tomoko's attack, she saw Tomoko go for a hooking left punch, Kiyomi parried the attack and smacked Tomoko with a double palm strike to the chest and then followed it in with a Kikoken. Tomoko staggered back a bit, Kiyomi darted towards her Japanese opponent, but Tomoko wrapped her long chain around Kiyomi's body and then unleashed another move of her own.

"Overrun!" hollered Tomoko.

Tomoko slammed Kiyomi hard onto the ground and immediately as the Chinese girl made contact with the canvas, Tomoko leapt into the air and drove both feet full force into her back. Kiyomi yelped out in pain as Tomoko jumped off of her. Kiyomi slowly got up and dashed backwards to give herself some breathing room. Tomoko attempted to grab Kiyomi but stumbled and wound up grabbing Kiyomi's pants and pulling them down, exposing Kiyomi's cotton white panties. Some of the guys whistled at Kiyomi as she hastily tried to pull her pants up. Kiyomi kicked Tomoko off of her as she finished pulling her pants up.

"Uh, sorry about that," mumbled Tomoko.

"Hey, you were trying to grab me for an attack, it was an accident, no hard feelings," replied Kiyomi.

"Ready to start again?" asked Tomoko.

Kiyomi nodded and then Tomoko slid in for another Rubber Burn at the same time Kiyomi went for a sweep, both attacks connected and both wound up falling back first on the steel covered floor.

"Wow, I love the image of these two on their backs, especially if I picture them sans clothing," commented Triple R.

"You need to get laid, maybe you'll stop being a pervert if you do, but don't ask me to do it," added Sue.

Tomoko and Kiyomi speedily scrambled back to their feet and then ran at each other full speed. Tomoko threw out a high roundhouse to Kiyomi's face, Kiyomi swatted Tomoko's leg away and then hit Tomoko with a low kick and chained her attack into a super move.

"Hazan Tensho Kyaku!" screamed Kiyomi.

Kiyomi rose up into the air, juggling Tomoko in an elongated Tensho Kyaku. After about twelve hits, Tomoko fell back to the earth and groaned in pain, but she still got back up anyways.

"Want to get hammered again Ms. Tough as Nails?" taunted Kiyomi.

"That's not my intentions, I think it's time I play the hammer," retorted Tomoko.

Tomoko darted at Kiyomi, who threw out a Kikoken. Tomoko did a Chain Whip while running causing the Kikoken to fly back at Kiyomi and deck her, as Kiyomi staggered backwards, Tomoko hit with a palm strike and then chained her attack into a super move.

"Oni Muso!" bellowed Tomoko.

Tomoko thrusted herself head first into Kiyomi's stomach full force and then hit her with yet another head butt immediately after the first one, and then hit Kiyomi with an elongated Hundred Hand Slap knocking the Chinese girl to the ground,

"Dosukoi!" yelled E. Honda from the stands.

Kiyomi groaned but still got back up and caught Tomoko off guard with a Spinning Bird Kick and then threw the Japanese biker to the ground upon landing. Tomoko rolled back to her feet and saw Kiyomi dash back to get some breathing room. Tomoko whipped out her long thick chain again and wrapped it around Kiyomi's abdomen. Tomoko yanked hard on the chain, causing Kiyomi to go flying towards her. Tomoko started to unload some right hooks into Kiyomi, her body then glowed red and Tomoko prepared to finish Kiyomi with her Hyper Art.

"Demolition Wreck!" roared Tomoko.

Tomoko gripped her chain tight and with her free hand hit Kiyomi with a long Hundred Hand Slap. Tomoko then slammed Kiyomi to the ground while keeping her wrapped up in the chain and then jumped onto Kiyomi's back full force. Tomoko repeated that process four times and then lifted up Kiyomi who was still enveloped in Tomoko's chain, Tomoko then pulled the chain back towards her causing it to unwrap around Kiyomi and make her dizzy. While Kiyomi staggered around dizzy Tomoko finished off her Hyper Art with another Oni Muso. Kiyomi hit the ground hard and started moaning in pain again.

"Oh my, that Demolition Wreck looks really painful, but kinda kinky, I wonder if Tomoko is into bondage?" commented Triple R.

"I think we need to bond your mouth shut," replied Sue.

"Kiyomi,, c'mon, please be all right!" shouted Chun-Li.

Much to Tomoko's dismay, Kiyomi got up again. The Chinese girl spat up some blood, but she took her defensive stance again.

"I can't believe that didn't finish you, but then again, knowing who your mother is, that shouldn't surprise me," stated Tomoko.

"Got that right, I won't go down easy," gasped Kiyomi.

Tomoko slid at Kiyomi with a Rubber Burn, Kiyomi leapt over Tomoko and then as Tomoko stood up, Kiyomi elbowed the biker in the nose causing Kiyomi to clutch her nose in pain, Kiyomi's body glowed red and she unleashed her Hyper Art into Tomoko.

"Houyokusen!" hollered Kiyomi.

Kiyomi sped forward and hit Tomoko with a long Hyakuretsu Kyaku, after eight hits with her left leg, Kiyomi switched to the right leg and repeated the process, after eight more hits, Kiyomi launched Tomoko upwards with a hard roundhouse. Tomoko flew up and then landed hard on the ground back first.

"Ah, crap!" grumbled Tomoko after a failed attempt to get back up.

"Aw, the biker's ride is over, this sucks, I wanted to see more hotness," grumbled Triple R.

"Too bad Rick, but this great match has come to an end and the winner is Kiyomi!" announced Sue.

E. Honda looked a little puzzled, but he was nonetheless satisfied at the effort Tomoko put forward, Chun-Li cheered for her adopted daughter's victory as Kiyomi emulated her mother's classic "Ya ta!" win pose. Kiyomi then walked over to Tomoko and helped her up.

"I honestly thought you had me with that Demolition Wreck attack," said Kiyomi as she hoisted Tomoko to her feet.

"Heh, that was fun, I hope to do it again one day, you're a great opponent," gasped Tomoko.

"You're a tough one too, we'll definitely hae to have a rematch one day," remarked Kiyomi.

"I look forward to that day my friend," responded Tomoko.

Tomoko and Kiyomi hugged each other and then headed back into the locker area afterwards, both were pretty banged up and in need of medical attention so they didn't want to delay it.

Author's Note: Well, another match finished, how did you like it? I know Triple R did, but so did I. Well we're halfway through the second round now. Next match will be between Marcos Ortega and Datta. Who will reign in the battle between Dudley's protege and the son of Dhalsim? Next chapter we will know that answer, until then though, please read and review.


	45. Round Two, Fight Five

**Chapter 44: Round Two, Fight Five**

Zephyr's Island, late morning

Inside the locker room, Marcos Ortega and Datta were warming themselves up for their match against one another. Datta sat down cross legged and was deeply wrapped up in his meditation, while Marcos adjusted his boxing gloves to fit perfectly on his hands. He let out a deep sigh upon thinking about how his mother was trapped somewhere on Zephyr's base waiting for a savior to rescue her.

"Are you mentally prepared for this match?" asked Datta.

"Yes, I'm fully prepared, otherwise I wouldn't be here," answered Marcos.

Outside in the arena, Triple R and Sue once again took center stage to announce the next match of the tournament.

"Well folks, time for another five star match with the fifth fight of the second round!" announced Triple R.

"That's right, it's a regular brains vs brawn match if you look at these two combatants on paper, but we aren't so we should see some interesting stuff here!" added Sue.

"First up is Oakland's brawling bull or boxing who competely trampled Unoka Muir in the last round and is set to stampede over another challenger, once again folks, show your love for Marcos Ortega!" announced Triple R.

As Marcos emerged from the double doors, he stepped out with pride and determination coursing through his body. Marcos was clad in his traditional boxing gear, green shorts with red trim on the edges, and his last name written in white letters along the top of the trim, black sneakers, and of course Dudley's blue boxing gloves. Marcos raised his fist into the air and saw Dudley give him a thumbs up, Marcos nodded to Dudley and turned back around to face the double doors.

"And his opponent is Calcutta's young master of Yoga who completely burned Vicki Small in the previous round and he's looking to turn another fighter into ashes here, so once again, here's Datta!" announced Sue.

Datta teleported into the ring and slowly walked over to where Marcos was standing. Datta's garb consisted of a bright green kurta coat, pants and a black pair of moccasins. He took at glance at his father Dhalsim and bowed to him before going back to facing Marcos. As the two warriors took their battle stances, Triple R and Sue were already back at their announcer's booth.

"Round 2, Fight!" said Triple R and Sue in unison.

Marcos and Datta circled each other, waiting to see who would make the first move. Datta stuck out a jab which Marcos swatted away and hit Datta with a right hook causing Datta to stagger back a bit. Marcos then dashed forward to follow in with a left hook, Datta parried the punch and hit Marcos with a knee to the stomach and then swept Marcos off of his feet. Marcos did an ukemi upon hitting the ground and as he got back up, he saw Datta spin at him head first, Marcos parried Datta's attack and then grabbed Datta with one hand and started laying numerous punches into Datta's abdominal region, after about seven punches, Marcos tossed datta away, Datta did his own ukemi upon hitting the ground. As Datta rose up, he saw Marcos rushing at him with a Toro Charge, Datta quickly reacted to get out of the way.

"Yoga!" yelled Datta.

In an instant, Datta teleported behind the boxer and as Marcos whirled around, Datta stuck out his leg and kicked Marcos in the face, Marcos staggered away as Datta dashed forward and hit Marcos with a two hit headbutt and then did a Yoga Fire to blow Marcos away, the flames extinguished however as Marcos hit the ground.

"Oh, and Datta teaches Marcos to not play with fire for obvious reasons!" announced Triple R.

"It seems you should learn something from that, and not light your farts on fire while drunk," added Sue.

"Oh, so you like fire huh, I'll be glad to bur you then," stated Marcos.

"Yeah right, you say you're a bull, well then I'm going to be the matador," retorted Datta.

Datta threw out another Yoga Fire, Marcos parried the attack and rushed in with an attack of his own.

"Flamethrower Blow!" yelled Marcos.

As Marcos shot forward, his body glowed yellow making his move an EX Flamethrower Blow. Marcos' fists glowed a bright orange as he lit Datta ablaze with eight rapid fire punches and then finished it off with a standing uppercut to send Datta flying away from him.

"And Marcos decides to fight fire with fire, let's just hope these two red hot combatants don't burn the arena down!" announced Triple R.

Datta got up slowly and saw Marcos dash forward, Datta stretched his arms out for a double hit punch, Marcos parried the strike and knocked Datta upwards with a double fisted uppercut and as Datta sailed upwards, Marcos leapt into the air and delivered a hard jab to Datta's face sending the Indian warrior crashing to the ground. Datta did an ukemi however and hit Marcos with another headbutt and chained it into another move.

"Yoga Flame!" shouted Datta.

Datta spurt forth a large flame from his mouth which engulfed Marcos and sent him flying backwards, Marcos rolled back to his feet as the fire around him fizzled out. Datta spun at Marcos headfirst, Marcos took the hit and then hit Datta with a one two punch and chained it into one of his own special moves.

"Drill Punch!" hollered marcos.

Marcos spun forward like a drill and decked Datta hard in the sternum, Datta spun back and hit the steel covered ground with a thud.

"Oh, and Marcos drills Datta hard, that Drill Punch is quite a powerful tool Marcos has at his disposal," commented Sue.

"Aw, why did you have to take the words right from my mouth?" whined Triple R.

Marcos rushed at Datta and threw out a left cross punch, Datta teleported out of the way, Marcos whirled around and tried to throw another punch at Datta, who teleported again to avoid the blow. Marcos threw out another punch as he saw Datta reappear, Datta parried Marcos' fist and grabbed Marcos and started punching Marcos on the top of the head, after about six punches, Datta released Marcos who fell back, Marcos got up to see Datta jump up and aim a drill like kick downwards at the Mexican boxer, who immediately prepped himself for a counter hit.

"Rocket Thruster!" yelled Marcos.

Marcos harnessed some flaming ki into his fist and rose upward with his fiery fist stretched out, he nailed Datta head on and sent him crashing down once again, Datta rolled back to his feet as Marcos landed from the Rocket Thruster.

"Heh, you are indeed strong and you are focused too, but still, you do not have the mental capacity necessary to come out victorious," stated Datta.

"Yeah right, I may not be all enlightened but at least I have common sense and I'm going to show you that I'm smarter than you think I am," retorted Marcos.

Marcos and Datta ran at each other and started to throw fierce attacks at one another, Marcos stuck out a jab which Datta successfully blocked, Datta tried to counter with a knee to the abdomen, which Marcos also blocked. Marcos went for a body blow, but Datta parried the strike and grabbed Marcos for a move of his own.

"Yoga Twist!" shouted Datta.

Datta flipped onto his back and using his leg strength, he tossed Marcos upward and he spun violently. As Marcos was still airborne, Datta teleported above the boxer and spun downwards in a drill like motion driving his feet into Marcos' back all the way down, Marcos groaned in pain as he hit the ground.

"If Datta were a chiropractor, I think he'd have his license revoked for malpractice after seeing that move," commented Triple R.

Marcos slowly rose back up to face Datta again. Datta leapt into the air as Marcos began to move in snake like motions, Datta drilled towards the Mexican brawler and hit him square on but did not expect Marcos' next move.

"Culebra Counter!" shouted Marcos.

As Datta connected with Marcos, the boxer shot forward and smacked Datta with a fierce dashing jab, knocking the Indian fighter out of the sky. Datta did an ukemi as Marcos leapt into the air and tried to hit Datta with a jumping elbow. Datta looked up and took a deep breath.

"Yoga Blast!" hollered Datta.

Datta blew out a Yoga Flame upwards at the airborned Marcos, completely snuffing Marcos' attempted strike and sending him flying away from Datta. Marcos did his own ukemi upon hitting the ground and as Datta darted forward to avoid letting Marcos regain any momentum, but the boxer had another surprise in store for him.

"Toro Charge!" bellowed Marcos.

Marcos shot forward in a mad dash and whacked Datta square in the face with a powerful punch that sent Datta shooting backwards and hit the ground hard and grumbled a bit.

"Datta, ease your mind, you can achieve victory if you do that," said Dhalsim from the stands.

Datta sprang back to his feet as Marcos took a defensive fighting position.

"So, have you changed your mind about me yet?" asked Marcos.

"Well, you are strong, but you won't win with just brute strength alone," answered Datta.

"Looks like I have more to prove to you, time to stampede over you just like bulls do!" responded Marcos.

Marcos spun at Datta with a Drill Punch, Datta evaded the blow by teleporting away from the fist and reappearing right behind Marcos.

"Yoga Inferno!" shouted Datta.

Datta took a deep breath and as he exhaled he blew out a huge stream of fire that completely engulfed Marcos. The wave of flames pelted Marcos about a dozen tiems and sent the boxer groundwards. Marcos still got up however at as Datta teleported to him, he tried to grab Marcos in another Yoga Twist, but Marcos socked Datta preventing that from happening and as Datta reeled back from the punch, Marcos unleashed his own super move to combat Datta.

"Toro Loco!" hollered Marcos.

Marcos rushed in at Datta and started to riddle him with a torrent of Toro Charges and Flamethrower Blows, Marcos then finished the super move with an EX Rocket Thruster and Datta hit the ground again, he grumbled a bit, but still Datta got back up yet again.

"I'm telling you Sue, with a battle this hot, I don't think even the fire department could extinguish the intensity we're seeing here!" commented Triple R.

"That's right, but it's still uncertain which fighter's flame will fizzle out in this round," added Sue.

"Son, show your opponent the inner mysteries of Yoga!" communicated Dhalsim telepathically with his son.

"Yes, father," replied Datta.

"I don't what you're babbling about, but this ends here," stated marcos as he rushed in at Datta with another Flamethrower Blow, Datta dashed backwards causing Marcos to whiff his attack. Datta's body glowed red and he unleashed his Hyper Art on Marcos.

"Yoga Legacy!" screamed Datta.

Datta spun forward headfirst right into Marcos' stomach causing the Mexican boxer to double over, Datta then flung Marcos into the air and teleported up after him and started to unload a series of punches and kicks into Marcos, Datta then wrapped his legs around Marocs' neck and slammed Marcos down on his back and then as Datta jumped off of Marcos, he finished off his Hyper Art with an elongated Yoga Flame.

"Marcos, do not throw in the towel yet, don't fall victim to anyone that tries to play the role of a matador!" shouted Dudley from the stands.

"Mother, I know you're suffering at the hands of Zephyr, I will not allow that to happen any longer, I'll be there for you soonm mark my words, I have to get up," thought Marcos to himself.

Marcos slowly got up, although he was feeling a little hot from Datta's attack, Datta turned around and sighed deeply.

"Well, this is a first, someone that got up after my most powerful move in my repritoire, I commend you Marcos, but still Yoga will overcome all," remarked Datta.

"Well, if you think you can finish me, come get me," retorted Marcos.

Datta threw out a Yoga Fire which Marcos parried, Datta then teleported behind Marcos again and tried to grab Marcos in a throw, but Marcos broke the throw attempt and decked Datta with a strong right hook with so much force that he wound up dizzying Datta. As Datta staggered about disoriented, Marcos' body glowed red and he was ready to close out the match with his own Hyper Art.

"Fuego Del Toro!" roared Marcos.

Marcos' fists glowed a reddish orange and he dashed at Marcos and started unleashing a furious flurry of punches which lit Datta ablaze after about twenty punches, Marcos chained into a Flamethrower Blow and then did a move similar to Ken's Shinryuken which lifted Datta high into the air, and while still airborne, Marcos delivered one final punch that sent Datta crashing onto the ground with a resounding thud.

"Ugh, no way," gasped Datta as he failed in an attempt to get back to his feet.

"Oh my, the bull has gored the matador and pulled off quite a victory!" announced Sue.

"And the winner of this scalding hot match is Marcos Ortega!" announced Triple R.

Marcos pumped both of his fists into the air and Dudley applauded for his protege. Marcos turned his attention to Datta and helped him up.

"Hey Datta, nice work, I can still feel the burn of that match, literally, stated Marcos.

"Well, you truly are in the correct mindset to go far in this tournament, I don't deny that, my father is proud I put forth anyways, you were just able to capitalize on your chances better," rasped Datta.

"Hey, Amy is lucky to have good fighter like you as her love, so I'll fight hard so you two can have a happy future together," said Marcos.

"I believe that, good luck my friend," responded Datta.

"Gracias amigo," replied Marcos.

The two warriors headed back to the locker area to get medical attention, thunderous applause washed over Marcos and Datta for they were highly appreciative of the show they put on.

Author's Note: Another match in the bag, I got another job now, but I'm still in a good writing groove. Hope y'all liked this match. Anyways, next match will be between Yin Lee and Isabella DiMarino. Which of these fierce females will walk away with a victory, you'll find out next chapter. Until then, please read and review.


	46. Round Two, Fight Six

**Chapter 45: Round Two, Fight Six**

Zephyr's Island, early afternoon

As the day wore on, another fight was about to take place. Yun and Yang Lee walked over to their younger sister Yin, who was ready to take center stage in the arena.

"Sis, even though I'm a little sad that you're the only one out of all of us that made it to the second round, I wanted to say good luck to you," said Yun.

"Just be careful out there, Isabella is probably a very powerful foe," added Yang.

"Hey don't worry about me, I'm gonna come out of this match just fine," replied Yin.

"The battle between us will be at hand soon, we shall see what fate has in store for us soon," chimed in Isabella who had just walked over to head out to the arena. Outside already, Triple R and Sue were prepared to announce the next fight.

"Well now, time for a sexy sixth match in the second round of the tournament," announced Triple R.

"Yes, another match with two femme fatales will be taking place here shortly, and we hope you're ready for the action these two will bring to the table," added Sue.

"First up is Hong Kong's Kung Fu cutie who pulled off an astounding upset over Ibuki last round and is prepped to make pork fried rice out of another fighter, once again folks, give it up for Yin Lee!" announced Triple R.

As Yin walked out to the ring, he proceeded confidently, as if she was prepared to take on the world, or as if she was already facing Zephyr. Yin was clad in a green shirt that showed a small glint of cleavage, along with a white pair of Kung Fu pants, and her black Kung Fu shoes, she bowed to the crowd as she waited out in the arena.

"And her opponent is Genoa's girl juggernaut, who had an amazing victory over Oblique in the first round and wants to pound in Yin like some pizza dough, here she is again everyone, Isabella DiMarino!" announced Sue.

As Isabella walked through the doors, a wind blew at her blue hair, making it dance around a bit. Isabella was clothed in a white midriff top with the yellow scarf around her neck, along with orange colored pants and black shoes. Isabella looked at Yin and bowed to her out of respect. Triple R and Sue assumed their positions at the announcer's table.

"Round 2, Fight!" announced Triple R and Sue in unison.

Yin immediately sped forward with a Gen'ei Senkou, appearing right behind Isabella. However, Isabella was well prepared for that and dashed back to avoid the palm strike that Yin shot forward and asYin ran at her again, Isabella shot forth a hard jab smacking Yin in the face. Yin absorbed the blow and then shot at Isabella with yet another move.

"Shuuraizan!" shouted Yin.

Yin charged forward, hitting Isabella square in the stomach with a plam strike enhanced with some electric ki. The jolt that Isabella received knocked her on her back, but she rolled back up to her feet quickly and resumed her fighting position she saw Yin leap at her and Isabella saw a ripe opportunity to counter Yin's momentu,.

"Soul Throw!" yelled Isabella.

Isabella jumped upwards and grabbed Yin in midair, enveloping her in blue flames and tossing the Chinese female down to the ground.

"Oh yeah, and these two waste no time and bringing that fire to the fight and getting everyone hot in here!" announced Triple R.

"If you even suggest taking it all off, I don't know what I will do, but it'll be bad," stated Sue.

Yin sprang back to her feet and saw Isabella dash at her and then throw out a high kick to Yin's face, Yin parried the attack and swept Isabella, who hastily did an ukemi and then as she got back up, she fired another move towards Yin.

"Soul Spark!" screamed Isabella.

A blue colored spark of energy surged forth from Isabella's fist and hurtled at Yin, decking the Chinese girl across the chest. Yin stumbled back a bit and as Rose darted in to follow up the Soul Spark, Yin did a Gen'ei Senkou backwards to give herself some breathing room. Isabella dashed at Yin again and as Isabella got close to Yin, the Chinese fighter smacked the Italian woman with a low kick and chained it into another move.

"Senkyutai!" hollered Yin.

Yin rolled forward and arced upwards hitting Isabella with a hard kick to the face that sent the Italian fighter to the floor, Isabella did an ukemi however and as Yin dashed at her with a Gen'ei Senkou, Isabella whipped out her scarf in front of her doing the Soul Reflect and knocking Yin back and onto the ground.

"Mama mia, that's a spicy attack from Isabella!" announced Triple R.

"Heh, well, my brothers were right, I knew this wouldn't be a cake walk," said Yin.

"Are you ready to give up your tomfoolery and throw in the towel?" asked Isabella.

"You're joking right, I aint quitting nothing, I'm gonna keep on going!" sxclaimed Yin.

"Very well then, do what you will," sighed Isabella.

Yin rushed in with another Gen'ei Senkou and reappared behind Isabella, as the Italian female whirled around, Yin chained three quick punches into another horizontal Shuuraizan. Isabella went sailing to the ground, but did another ukemi to get back to her feet, aas she stood, she saw Yin charge at her again.

"Shiratora Atemi!" yelled Yin.

As Yin dashed in, Isabella parried both hits of the Shiratora Atemi and then did a combo that knocked Yin upwards and hten linked the combo into a Soul Throw.

"Careful Isabella, don't burn that nice pizza ass!" commented Triple R.

"Did you just make a sexual pun?" asked Sue.

"Yes, I did, why?" asked Triple R.

Sue smacked Triple R across the face and replied with "No reason."

As Yin got back up, Isabella threw out another Soul Spark, Yin leapt over it and decked Isabella with a flying roundhouse and hit her with a jab into another Senkyutai, Isabella hit the ground hard, but scrambled back up to her feet in no time. Yin ran forward and tried to strike with another Shuuraizan, but Isabella parried again and retaliated with her own special move.

"Soul Spiral" hollered Isabella.

With her fist enveloped in her scarf, Isabella spun forward and hit Yin with a three hit punch, engulfing the young female in blue flames yet again. Yin flew back and landed on the ground back first, Yin let out a small groan as she hit the ground. Yin got up and saw Isabella leap at her with a kick. Yin sped back with a Gen'ei Senkou making Isabella whiff her attack and then Yin ran forward again as Isabella landed and pulled out something else from her arsenal.

"Ensiken!" screamed Yin.

Yin delivered a powerful elbow to Isabella's face, as Isabella clutched her nose in pain, Yin turned her back to the Italian female and moved forward a few steps before smacking Isabella with a hard back fist and then shoulder rammed Isabella to the ground, Isabella rolled back up speedily and was soon ready to fight again as Yin hurtled forward with a Shuuraizan, Isabella parried Yin's strike and then grabbed Isabella and flaming ki surged from Isabella's arms and coursed through Yin's body, and then after a few surges, Isabella tossed Yin away and onto the steely canvas.

"Oh, and Yin is getting fried like a peking duck, I wonder if she'll be able to get herself out of the frying pan," commented Triple R.

"Who knows, but I'm sure she'll come up with something," added Sue.

Yin and Isabella ran at each other again, Isabella aimed a hooking fierce punch at Yin's face, Yin parried Isabella's attack and rolled over onto Isabella's other side with a Zenpou Tenshin and before Isabella could recover, Yin clocked Isabella with a flurry of jabs into a Shiratora Atemi knocking Isabella to the ground. Isabella got up and shook her head to regain her composure.

"I admit Yin, you truly arer a gifted young warrior, but I must not let you stand in the way of my mission much longer," stated Isabella.

"Too bad, like the Great Wall, I won't be coming down any time soon," commented Yin.

"I do believe I shall make you fall like the Berlin Wall," retorted Isabella.

"Heh, then go ahead and try if you think you can do it," taunted Yin.

Isabella ran at Yin and caught her off guard with a low attack which she chained into a quick barrage of punches into a Soul Spiral causing Yin to be dazed. Isabella used this moment to her advantage by unleashing one of her Super Arts.

"Soul Illusion!" bellowed Isabella.

A glowing blue and orange shadowy trail lingered behind Isabella as she glowed blue and started to pelt the Chinese female with a flurry of punches and kick. The shadows mimicked each of Isabella's moves and added to the pain that Yin was feeling from the attack. As the Soul Illusion wore off, Yin lay on the ground groaning in pain, but she still got back up, Isabella sighed out of frustration and aimed a Soul Spark at yin who promptly parried the attack and then darted forward and nailed Isabella with a kick to the stomach causing the Italian to double over, and during the moment Isabella staggered back, Yin gathered ki to launch her own super move.

"Sourai Senkyutai!" cried out Yin.

Yin hit Isabella with a small Senkyutai, launching Isabella into the air. Yin then followed up by juggling her opponent with an upwards Shuuraizan then an upward kick, Yin then finished off the super with a more powerful Senkyutai, Yin spun around during the move, causing many more hits to come out of the move, soon Isabella went crashing down the the floor. Isabella grumbled a bit but still arose again much to Yin's dismay.

"Well, well, it seems these two are ready to try and cook each other good, although I find them both to be delicious morsels myself," commented Triple R.

"Ay, you never change do you?" grumbled Sue.

"Damn it, you just don't make this job easy do you, but I guess it makes the thought of defeating you more enjoyable," stated Yin.

"Perish that thought from your head, for it will not come to be," remarked Isabella.

Yin and Isabella rushed at each other again, unleashing a torrent of attacks on each other, back and forth they went, matching each other blow for blow. On the sidelines, peeking out from the double doors were Yun and Yang watching the entire thing unfold before them

"Brother, what do you think the outcome will be for Yin?" inquired Yun.

"I can't tell, a victory would be nice, but it's not a sure thing, with that Rose female having her soul inside Isabella's body, it does make the battle for our little sister an arduous one," answered Yang.

"Yeah, c'mon Yin, pull through for us," cheered Yun.

Back on the battlefield, Yin and Isabella continued to unload on each other, Isabella connected with a punch to Yin's face, but Yin returned the favor with a kick to Isabella's chest, causing Isabella to stagger back, Yin decided to go for a big finish as her body glowed red in preparation to unleash her Hyper Art.

"Hiten Soryuujin!" shouted Yin.

Yin aimed a kick at Isabella's throat in an attempt to get the Hyper Art started, but to Yin's shock, Isabella parried the kick, therefore completely snuffing out Yin's Hyper Art attempt, Yin gasped in disbelief.

"I can't believe it, you nullified my most powerful attack!" exclaimed Yin.

"It was not meant for you to connect with that move, now to finish this little song and dance that we call our match," replied Isabella.

A disgruntled Yin aimed another kick at Isabella only to have it parried again, Isabella then retaliated with a swift kick to Yin's kneecap causing Yin to drop to a knee and wince in pain, as that happened, Isabella's body glowed red and a light wind began to blow in the arena as the Italian female charged up for her Hyper Art.

"Soul Explosion!" roared Isabella.

Isabella shot her scarf forward and wrapped Yin up in it. Green clored electricity coursed through the scarf shocking Yin as Isabella lifted Yin into the air, Blue flames circled around Yin and began to envelop her in powerful flaming ki. Yin cried out in pain from the two different types of ki attacking her body, As the blue flames and green electricity continued to surge through Yin's body, Isabella tossed Yin high into the air and a bright bluish green explosion of ki nailed Yin with a powerul dose of pure energy, Yin then descended downwards and hit the steel covered tarmac with a loud thud.

"No way," grumbled Yin not even bothering to get up due to how sore she was from the Soul Explosion.

"Well folks, this match has met a sizzling end!" announced Sue.

"Quite spicy if I do say so myself, and the winner of this match is Isabella DiMarino!" announced Triple R.

"Today's lesson is over," spoke Rose from within Isabella.

Isabella took a moment to savor her victory and then walked over to Yin and helped her up.

"Well, you lived up to what you said, but now our village has no one fighting for it," gasped Yin.

"Not true Yin, everyone here is fighting for your village, and whatever else has meaning to them, we all carry the same burden, rest now, me and the others shall carry you and your brothers loads now," responded Isabella.

"Eh, thanks Isabella, I wish you luck in the next round," said Yin.

"You're welcome, you truly are a good soul my friend," replied Isabella as she helped Yin over to the locker area to where the medics were waiting.

Author's Note: Well now, another chapter in the finished catergory. Hope you all enjoyed the fight. Hey DeNice, sorry I didn't show off Yin's Hyper Art, but since it would've involved Yun and Yang's assistance, Yin would've been disqualified for using it in the tournament, hope you still liked the chapter anyways. Next match is Brock Irvine versus Ryu. What will the battle between Sagat's student and Oro's successor hold for us, you'll have to wait until next chapter to find out. Until then though, please read and review.


	47. Round Two, Fight Seven

**Chapter 46: Round Two, Fight Seven**

Zephyr's Island, early afternoon

Brock Irvine trembled with both excitement and fear as he prepared for his upcoming match. He was excited to be facing one of the most respected martial artists in the world, Ryu. However, that also frightened him because he felt that with Ryu's power, that he would be completely slaughtered.

"Oh man, that Ryu fellow made sport of my master so easily, so how the hell am I gonna be able to fight against someone like that?" thought Brock to himself.

Brock tried to calm himself down as the fight loomed closer. Outside, Triple R and Sue were both center stage again ready to announce the upcoming match.

"Well now folks, time for another lucky seven, and by that we mean the seventh match of this exciting second round," announced Triple R.

"Yes, time to see who luck favors in this match and who will progress to the third round," added Sue.

"First up is Sydney's surfing master of Muay Thai who pulled out an impressive victory over Pietro Omakovski in the last round and is here to try and drown another fighter in his power, here he is again folks, Brock Irvine!" announced Triple R.

Brock stepped out into the arena hiding any nervousness he was feeling from the crowd. A look of determination eminated from his deep blue eyes. Brock was clothed in a blue full body wet suit with a green colored stripe running down the sides of the wet suit. He looked at his master Sagat and bowed to him before turning to face the double doors again.

"And his opponent is Japan's famous wandering martial artist, he put on an amazing show for us in his win over Q in the last round, and he's here to give us even more entertainment right now, so give it up once more for Ryu!" announced Sue.

Ryu emerged from the double doors looking as how he always did, like he was ready for a battle. Ryu's outfit pretty much remained the same, his usual white karate gi, however he was not wearing the purple robes over his gi this time. Ryu looked at Brock and nodded to him as if to say "Good luck" Triple R and Sue ran back to their announcer's table promptly.

"Round 2, Fight!" announced Triple Rand Sue in unison.

Both Brock and Ryu circled each other, both waited in anticipation for who would throw the first strike. Ryu aimed a straight punch at Brock's face, which Brock hastily parried the blow and tried to hit Ryu with an elbow to the face, Ryu parried the attack and threw out a roundhouse to Brock which was also parried. Brock then retaliated with a sweep knocking Ryu off of his feet, Ryu did an ukemi to get up faster and saw Brock rush at him and throw out a knee aimed for the Japanese warrior's stomach. Ryu parried the hit and hit Ryu with a open hand chop to the sternum and then grabbed Brock by his wetsuit.

"Niou Riki!" shouted Ryu.

With one arm, Ryu slammed Brock on the ground three times. Brock grunted a bit after the third slam. Brock slowly got back up and saw Ryu leap up into the air, Brock reacted quickly with a move of his own.

"Tiger Uppercut!" yelled Brock.

Brock rose up into the air and decked Ryu with a five hit uppercut, Ryu went sailing back and landed on the ground hard on his back. Ryu sprang back up however and was ready to fight some more.

"And this young protege of Muay Thai's king is really holding his own against this seasoned veteran. I wonder if the tiger or the dragon will come out on top," commented Triple R.

"Well hopefully this won't spark a new rivalry, I'm pretty sure Brock doesn't want his chest scarred," added Sue.

Brock rushed at Ryu again and threw out a high elbow aimed at Ryu's nose, Ryu reared his head back to avoid the blow and then aimed a hard hooking punch for Brock connecting and causing the Australian to stagger back, Ryu then chained his punch into another rushing punch and then did another special move to knock Brock off of his feet.

"Tatsumakisenpuukyaku!" shouted Ryu.

Ryu spun around jutting one leg out and decked Brock knocking the surfer down, but Brock quickly rolled back to his feet and saw Ryu run at him. Brock took a defensive stance and then as Ryu threw out another rushing strong punch, Brock parried the strike and then retaliated with his own attack.

"Kangaroo Kick!" hollered Brock.

Brock planted both his hands on the ground and then jutted both feet forward and firmly struck Ryu in the chest, Ryu grunted as he staggered back from the powerful kick, but soon resumed the offensive and then saw Brock gather orange colored ki into his palms.

"Tiger!" roared Brock.

"Hadoken!" screamed Ryu.

Ryu put his palms together and unleashed a blue ball of ki that hurtled forward and collided with Brock's orange blade shaped ki projectile, completely nullifying both projectiles.

"Aw come one mate, I know you can fight better than this," taunted Brock.

"Right, I guess I should take the kid gloves off now, I hope you're ready," replied Ryu.

"Oh, no lie, I'm ready," retorted Brock.

Ryu leapt in with high speed aiming for a Jinchuu Watari, but Brock dashed back barely avoiding Ryu's stomp attack. Brock then rushed in with his own attack.

"Dingo Claw!" bellowed Brock.

Brock ran at Ryu with a hard swiping attack, but Ryu parried the claw and then grabbed Brock with another Niou Riki, but Brock did antoher ukemi and as Ryu threw another Hadoken, Brock nullified it with a Tiger Shot and then as Ryu jumped into the air for another Jinchuu Watari, Brock countered with a Tiger Uppercut. knocking Ryu out of the air again.

"Oh my, back and forth, I'm sure Sagat must be proud of how his student is faring against the man that scarred him," commented Triple R.

As Ryu sprang back up, Oro looked on musing as to why Ryu hadn't completely decimated Brock yet.

"Hmm, I get the feeling that Ryu is holding back his true potential, but why," thought Oro.

"I don't know, it's normally not like Ryu to do something like that, so why would he do it right now during a tournament with so much on the line," added Ken.

"Well, who knows, the answers might not be too far off though," remarked Sagat.

"Nichiirin Shyou!" yelled Ryu.

Brock parried the small yellow ball of ki and leapt at Ryu for and stuck out a roundhouse, but Ryu prepared a move to completely snuff Brock's jumping kick.

"Oni Yanma!" bellowed Ryu.

Ryu decked Brock with a two hit spiraling uppercut knocking the Australian out of the sky, as Brock crashed to the ground, he grumbled a bit, but still got back up to fight some more. Ryu spun forward with a Tatsumakisenpuukyaku, but Brock blocked the attack and then grabbed Ryu with his own attack.

"Surfboard!" shouted Brock.

Brock grabbed Ryu and slammed the bearded Japanese fighter on the ground, as Ryu hit the steely floor, Brock jumped on top of Ryu's back and rode him like a surfboard, Brock then delivered a second stomp to Ryu's back before dismounting.

"Like, cowabunga dude, that's one way to make Ryu totally wipeout!" commented Triple R.

"Yeah, that may be radical and all, but stop with the bogus surfer talk, seriously," remarked Sue.

As Ryu got up, Brock fired forth a low Tiger Shot aimed at Ryu's feet, Ryu quickly leapt over the projectile only to see one aimed right for his face coming at him, Ryu rolled under the Tiger Shot and thd then hit Brock with a punch to the ribs and then unleashed another famous move of his.

"Shoryuken!" yelled Ryu.

Ryu rose up into the air with his fist outstretched and smacked Brock with such force, that the surfer flew back about eight feet and hit the canvas back first, Brock let out a small whimper, but he still scrambled back up to his feet again. Brock then hurtled forward with another Dingo Claw, but Ryu blocked and tried to grab Brock for another Niou Riki, but his grab was reversed as Brock was able to hit Ryu with yet another Tiger Uppercut.

"Well, you are strong Brock, I give you that, but still, you have some ways to go before you can surpass me," said Ryu.

"I'm prepared to cause an upset in this tournament, keep bringing it mate!" retorted Brock.

Ryu fired a Hadoken at Brock, as Brock parried the projectile, he leapt into the air again and aimed another roundhouse kick at Ryu, but he was knocked out of the air by an upwards fired Nichiirin Shyou from Ryu, Brock did another ukemi and then as Ryu tried to hit Brock with a Jinchuu Watari again, Brock dashed back causing Ryu to whiff his attack and hten grabbed Ryu and fazed him with another Surfboard move. Ryu got up again and as Brock attacked, Ryu parried Brock's strike and then fired a Hadoken point blank into Brock's chest and then unleashed a Super Art right after words.

"Shinkuu Hadoken!" hollered Ryu.

Ryu fired forth a Hadoken with the power of five Hadokens from his palms and pelted Brock with the supercharged blue ball of ki sending the Australian crashing to the ground et again. Brock sprang back up to his feet and saw Ryu make a beeline for him and throw out a punch, Brock tilted his head back causing Ryu to miss and then kicked Ryu in the chest and then chained the kick into his own Super Art to counteract Ryu's offense.

"Tiger Genocide!" screamed Brock.

Brock pierced Ryu's defense with a powerful Tiger Crush kneeing Ryu hard in the face and then chaining the powered up Tiger Crush, he pelted Ryu with two consecutive Tiger Uppercuts knocking Ryu to the ground hard, Ryu sprang back up and wiped off the sweat that was running down his forehead. Brock did the same as well.

"Oh wow, it seems this match will be reaching it's finale soon, we shall see who will be the victor of this fine duel very shortly!" announced Triple R.

"Yeah, will the tiger slay the dragon, or will the dragon tame the tiger?" added Sue.

Ryu ran at Brock and both started to attack each other relentlessly, however Brock also knew something was up, he knew that Ryu had a lot more power than he was displaying, so why was he letting the fight drag on is what Brock wondered, so as they threw fists at each other Brock looked at him sternly and Ryu saw the look in Brock's eyes and knew what Brock was thinking.

"What's wrong Brock?" asked Ryu.

"You're holding back, and don't lie and say you aren't because I know you are, why though?" asked Brock.

"I'm going to let you win the fight" whispered Ryu.

"Huh, why is that, you're the one that has the most power at his disposal to defeat Zephyr," stated Brock.

"Just because I'm the physically strongest doesn't mean I'll win against Zephyr, after all, I sense that someone else has the power and drive necessary to save us all. Besides I shouldn't rob someone else that has more reason to want to fight Zephyr from getting to fight, that drive to protect what they love or retrieve what they lost will often trump sheer power," answered Ryu.

"So you're saying heart plays a big part in whether whoever fights him will be victorious right?" inquired Brock.

"Not just in this fight, but all fights, it's time for me to let the new generation of fighters shine, even though I may be a master of two styles, the pmp and circumstance of ceremony has never been my thing," answered Ryu.

"Ok, at least let me hit you with my best stuff so it doesn't look like you went down like a chump," commented Brock.

"Very well," said Ryu.

Ryu kicked Brock away and fired forth another Shinkuu Hadoken, Brock parried all five hits from the supercharged ball of ki, and then dashed at Ryu and started to unload a flurry of attacks loose, Ryu started to parry them, but eventually Ryu let his guard down allowing one of the hits to actually strike him. Brock's body began to glow red as he released his Hyper Art.

"Wild Dingo Wipeout!" roared Brock.

Brock rushed forward and pelted Ryu with eight rapid fire Dingo Claws and then slammed Ryu down as if he were doing the Surfboard and then stomped on Ryu six times. Brock then lifted Ryu up off the ground and then hit him with two Tiger Uppercuts and then as Ryu descended to the ground, Brock delivered a charged up Tiger Shot straight to Ryu sending him flying back about ten feet and Ryu hit the ground with a loud thud.

"Good job," said Ryu as he then played possum until he was announced as unable to fight. Everyone just gasped as they saw Ryu fall and not get back up.

"He's taking a dive, I did hear partially what he said though as to why he's doing it though," said Oro.

"Really, why is Ryu purposely losing the fight?" asked Ken.

"He wants to let someone else with more reason to face off against Zephyr win the tournament and claim that victory against the evil deity," answered Oro.

"Well that's nice of him, he was always a noble man though so it makes sense," stated Ken.

"Oh my, it's a major upset, the seasoned veterean as just been roasted and drowned by a wave of rage," gasped Triple R.

"You are correct, the winner of this surprising match is Brock Irvine!" announced Sue.

Sagat and the others applauded for Brock as he walked over and helped Ryu up to his feet.

"Are you sure that this is what you want to do Ryu?" asked Brock.

"Yes, the rest of you have more reason to take on Zephyr, I have faith that whoever fights him will win. All of you possess great hearts, I can see that. Aut you truly are a good fighter with a lot of potential Brock, keep training, I enjoyed the match," answered Ryu.

"Thanks, and you truly are as great as everyone says you are, I am honored to have fought you," replied Brock.

"Thanks, and I'm honored to have fought strong fighters in this tournament," stated Ryu.

Brock and Ryu then walked back into the locker room so that way the tournament could continue on and hopefully everyone could recover from their shock.

Author's Note: Surprised huh? Well I kinda had the end of the SF3 tournament in mind with this chapter with how Gill let Alex win that fight, although I'm saying Brock is Alex. But yeah, I did feel like letting some new blood shine instead of making Ryu hog the spotlight. But anways, we finish off the second round in the next chapter with a fight between Frederick Lowe and Skye Hawk, will the Tae Kwon Do master or the heir to the Thunderfoot be the last fighter to proceed to the third round? You'll find out next chapter, until then, please read and review.


	48. Round Two, Fight Eight

**Chapter 47: Round Two, Fight Eight**

Zephyr's Island, mid afternoon

As the day wore on, the second round was about to come to a close, Frederick Lowe and Skye Hawk both stood near the double doors. Both warriors were ready for action as both of them had a reason to take on Zephyr and the two were both ready to bring their best to the table.

"Well now baby, I hope you're not sore that I'm gonna be going all out in this fight," stated Frederick.

"Hey, I'm not sore, and hopefully you won't be either after the fight is over," replied Skye.

Outside in the arena, Triple R and Sue once again walked out to the center of the ring to announce the next fight.

"Well ladies and gents, the second round is about to come to a close with another shocking match that is bound to blow your interests sky high!" commented Triple R.

"Indeed, this should be an interesting match to ap off round two of this tournament," added Sue.

"Our first opponent in this match is Atlanta's ambassador of Tae Kwon Do, who knocked Yang Lee's lights out last round and is ready to kick up another storm in this round, once again folks, here is Frederick Lowe!" announced Triple R.\\

Immediately after hearing his name, Frederick burst forth from the double doors and entered the arena with a confident, almost cocky aura around him. Frederick was clad in a black baseball cap with a red sleeveless T-shirt, baggy blue jeans, and red and black sneakers. He did a quick kata and then gave the crowd a confident smirk.

"And his opponent is Tucson's thunderous heir to the Thunderfoot tribe. She like her avian namesake devoured Scott Wagner as if he were a worm and his seeking new prey in this round, so here she is again, show your love for Skye Hawk!" announced Triple R.

Skye walked out into the arena with a brave look on her face, she was clothed in a green headband with dyed red feathers in it, a bright green top that fit snugly around her chest, a pair of short purple shorts and brown leather boots. She eyed Frederick firmly showing that she was not afraid of him even hough he was a good ten inches taller than her. Triple R and Sue ran back to their announcer's table so the match could get underway.

"Round 2, Fight!" yelled Triple R and Sue in unison.

Frederick made a dash at Skye right off the bat by throwing out a kick at Skye's knee, Skye dodged the kick and then threw out a chop for Frederick's face, but the Tae Kwon Do champion effectively blocked the attack and threw out a kick to Skye's stomach hitting the Native American girl dead on and causing her to double over. Frederick then kicked her in the face knocking her down to the ground. Skye hastily did an ukemi and saw Frederick dash at her again with another kick, Skye parried the kick and then grabbed Frederick by the throat. Skye started to squeeze hard as Frederick gasped for air, after a while, Skye tossed Frederick to the ground and he quickly caught his breath and got back up to fight some more.

"Oh and Skye is determined to make Frederick blow a fuse, by choking him crazy, I'd like to have Skye choke me," commented Triple R.

"Rick you do know that she's underage right," stated Sue.

"Yeah, but I can wait a couple of years," answered Triple R.

Skye and Frederick darted at each other again and Frderick started to fire kicks off in rapid succession. Skye took the kicks and then threw out a chop to Frederick's chest as retaliation and connected firmly, Frederick staggered back a bit. Skye then leapt at Frederick.

"Condor Spire!" shouted Skye.

As Skye jumped forward aiming a doulbe axe handled chop at Frederick, the Tae Kwon Do master decided to counter Skye's attack with a special move of his own.

"Rising Thunder Knee!" yelled Frederick.

Both attacks connected with their target and they both wound up getting knocked away from each other, Skye found herself enveloped in electrical ki that dissipated as she hit the ground though, both did an ukemi at the same time however and got up to their feet at the same time. Both chuckled a bit as they glared at each other.

"Damn girl, you really are kick, but I still have to kick your ass," remarked Frederick.

"I must admit, I am having fun, however I will not allow you to walk away with the victory," responded Skye.

"You may not allow it, but it will still happen," taunted Frederick.

"It's talk like that which will be your downfall," stated Skye.

Skye leapt into the air and then prepared to pull out one of her special attacks to aid her in the fray.

"Condor Dive!" screamed Skye.

Skye dove down head first with blinding speed and hit Frederick with such high force that he once again flew backward and hit the ground again, but Frederick rolled back up to his feet and as Skye landed on the ground. Frederick then saw Skye dash at him so he retaliated with his own attack.

"Flying Thunder Kick!" hollered Frederick.

Frederick flew at Skye jutting his right leg out which was encircled with electrical ki. His attack decked Skye directly in the chest, Skye felt a surge of electrical energy course through her body as she flew backwards, Skye hit the ground hard and grumbled a bit from the pain of getting shocked.

"Wow, Frederick is completely supercharged, I bet Skye was wishing she was made of rubber right about now," commented Triple R.

"I bet she's wondering where your off switch is," replied Sue.

Skye sprang back to her feet and saw Frederick leap into the air, Skye took a defensive position not knowing what Frederick was going to pull out.

"Lightning Rain!" yelled Frederick.

Frederick dove down unleashing a flurry of electrically charged kicks, Skye decided to retaliate by using her own anti-air attack to send Frederick crash landing.

"Tomahawk Buster!" screamed Skye.

Skye rose up into the air head first and the two attacks connected, sending both Frederick and Skye down to the ground back first again. Both warriors arose again at the same time and Frederick attempted another Flying Thunder Kick, Skye saw it coming his time and then released a move of her own to ward off Frederick's oncoming attack.

"Hawk Reflector!" shouted Skye.

A blue ki barrier formed in front of Skye and snuffed out Frederick's attack and knocked him down. Frederick hastily scrambed back up and saw Skye go for another Condor Dive, Frederick parried the attack and countered with his own special move.

"Shock Backfist!" hollered Frederick.

Frederick smacked Skye with a powerful backfist with electric effects added to it, Skye staggered back from the hit and then Frederick hit her with a flurry of kicks and finished off his combo with another Rising Thunder Knee. Skye rolled back to her feet and shook her head to regain her composure and saw Frederick run at her and throw out a straight jab to her face, Skye parried the attack and saw Frederick aim a kick at her knee, Skye parried the kick as well and smacked Frederick in the face with a knife hand chop and chained her chop into a Tomahawk Buster knocking Frederick away from her.

"And Skye goes completely savage here with that Tomahawk Buster, I'm sure Frederick is hoping he doesn't get scalped," stated Triple R.

As Frederick got back up, he saw Skye run at him and throw out a boot to the face, Frederick took the hit and retaliated by successfully kicking Skye in the knee making her drop down to her knees and then he comboed his kick into another one of his special moves.

"Whirling Thunder Tornado!" bellowed Frederick.

A mini tornado composed of electric ki cricled Frederick as he spun around with one foot and kicked Skye five times, electrifying her with each kick and sending her flying away and hitting the ground hard.

"And with stuff like the Whirling Thunder Tornado, I'm pretty sure Skye is gonna have a high electric bill this month," commented Triple R.

Skye slowly got up and saw Frederick dive at her with a Lightning Rain and dashed back barely avoiding Frederick's furious feet. Skye then darted forward as Frederick landed on the ground and grabbed him for another special move of hers.

"Thunderfoot Typhoon!" screamed Skye.

Skye grabbed Frederick by the head and then leapt up into the air spinning Frederick around with one arm and as she started to descend, the Native American warrior brought her arm down and slammed the Tae Kwon Do master down on his head and then leapt back to give herself some breathing room.

"Ouch, I hope Frederick's wires didn't get crossed from that twisty Thunderfoot Typhoon that Skye gave him," said Triple R.

"It didn't Rick, Frederick is getting back up now, although he will need a truckload of aspirin," replied Sue.

"Well, you sure are feisty, I like that in a girl, but hey, it's time for lights out baby," taunted Frederick.

"No way, I'll show you the power of Mother Nature and turn your own storm against you," retorted Skye.

Skye leapt in with a Condor Spire which Frederick parried and then he tried to counter with a Shock Backfist, but Skye parried Frederick's attack and countered Frederick's attempted counter with one of her Super Arts.

"Canyon Splitter!" shouted Skye.

Skye leapt in with a powered up Condor Spire which hit Frederick four times and then chained the Condor Spire into a powered up Tomahawk Buster which hit Frederick five times and knocked him to the floor. Frederick groaned a bit but sat up, wiped the blood from his lip and the stood back up to fight.

"Oh my, c'mon Frederick, don't let that little cutie smack you around," said Dan.

"Charge it...up, make her...short circuit," growled Blanka.

Skye let out a huff and then ran at Frederick again and let loose a chop which Frederick parried, Skye then tried to grab Frederick for another Thunderfoot Typhoon but Frederick dodged the grab and unleashed his own Super Art as Skye whiffed the grab.

"Stun Shock Kick!" yelled Frederick.

Frederick let loose a powerful shocking kick to Skye which knocked her back about ten feet and racked her body with high voltage. Skye got up, but she was remarkably dazed and staggering about all dizzy. Frederick saw the opportunity to go for a win and his body began to glow red as he unleashed his Hyper Art in an attempt to seal a victory for him.

"Eye of the Thunder Storm!" roared Frederick.

Frederick ran forward and threw out a flurry of powerful electric kicks, then lifted Skye into the air with a Rising Thunder Knee and brought her back down to earth with a Lightning Rain and then finished off his Hyper Art with the Hyper Whirling Thunder Tornado. Skye hit the ground with a thud and groaned out in pain as she lay down.

"Sacred spirits of the Thunderfoot tribe, please let Skye be okay, please don't let her fall here," prayed T. Hawk.

Surprisingly after all that electrical ki Skye absorbed, she rose up to a knee again and Frederick groaned in disbelief and tried to knock Skye back down with a Flying Thunder Kick. Skye rolled under the attack and hit Frederick with a powerful head butt right to the nose. As Frederick clutched his nose in pain, Skye's body glowed red as she prepared to use her own Hyper Art to take down Frederick.

"Sacred Thunderfoot War Cry!" hollered Skye.

Skye knocked Frederick up into the air with a hard uppercut and then delivered a powered up Tomahawk Buster knocking him higher into the air and then while still in mid air, smacked Frederick with a Condor Dive, and repeated the Tomahawk Buster into a Condor Dive combination eight times and then finished off the Hyper Art with her Raging Typhoon. Frederick hit the ground hard and massaged his head in pain.

"No, I cannot lose, no matter how much this hurts, I must get up," mumbled Frederick to himself as he slowly got up, Skye sighed out of disappointment.

"This should keep you on the ground," said Skye as she leapt into the air again and dove down at Frederick with a Condor Dive, Frederick let loose a Rising Thunder Knee to try and snuff out Skye's attack. The two wound up trading hits and both hit the ground hard and moaned from the pain they were in. Neither one succeeded in getting back up.

"Oh my God! It's a double KO! I don't believe this!" exclaimed Triple R.

"Well, since this is the outcome, we must go to our judges panel to decide the winner, judges, please come out," said Sue.

Three men came out to the arena, all three of them had two signs in their hands as Triple R and Sue helped Frederick and Skye up to their feet.

"So judges, who do think did better in the fight and should move on?" asked Triple R.

Judge number one held up a sign saying Frederick's name, judge two held up a sign saying Skye's name.

"Well judge three, it's up to you, who goes on?" asked Sue.

Judge three pondered a bit as to who he thought did better, eventually he came to a decision and held up the sign that said Skye's name.

"Aw you gotta be kidding me," moaned Frederick.

"And you saw it here folks, the winner of this match by judge's decision is Skye Hawk!" announced Triple R.

T. Hawk smiled as his daughter was announced the winner, Blanka gave his friend a thumbs up for giving it his all though.

"Hey, that was good match girl, I hope we can have one again someday," gasped Frederick.

"Yeah, maybe once I get my tribal land rebuilt, we can do that," replied Skye.

"Well good luck on that, I'm sure you'll be a great chief to your tribe," stated Frederick.

"Thanks, and don't worry about your family's dojo, you'll get it back, we'll all make sure to that," said Skye.

The two shook hands and then helped each other back to the locker area to seek medical attention.

"Well folks, the second round is over, but since it's still early, we will move to the third round today, but we'll be taking a two hour intermission to allow the fighters to rest and get the attention they need so that way they can be fresh for all of you," announced Triple R.

"Yes, and right now, here is our bracket for the third round, and what you can expect," added Sue.

"Fight one will be Alex vs. Sean Matsuda!"

"Fight two will be Mel Masters vs. Kiyomi!"

"Fight three will be Marcos Ortega vs. Isabella DiMarino!"

"And fight four will be Brock Irvine vs. Skye Hawk!"

"Well, we'll be back later, so go ahead and stretch your legs, but be sure to be back before the third round starts, because you don't want to miss any of the action that will be taking place!" said Triple R.

With that, all of the people in the arena got up and left to stretch themselves out and talk amongst each other. In his little area where he was watching, Zephyr just had an amused smirk on his face.

"Eight more cattle fall, four more shall fall in the next round, but it does not matter how strong the last cattle is, he or she will still be slaughtered liike the rest of them," said Zephyr as he walked out.

Author's Note: Well folks, I hope you liked the finish of the second round, I really couldn't decide who I wanted to win so when it came down to the last judge, I did a coin toss to decide who would move on, heads for Frederick, tails for Skye, and it wound up tails. But yeah, next chapter will be down time for the fighters, some time to tie up more loose ends and see what else everyone else may be up to. The chapter after next, the third round will begin. So until then though, please read and review.


	49. Intermission Two

**Chapter 48: Intermission Two**

Zephyr's Island, late afternoon

Inside the locker area, the warriors in the tournament rested. The eight that still remained active in the tournament were all taking naps to conserve energy for their upcoming matches since the third round would commence in just a couple of hours. The other competitors that were already eliminated from the tournament milled about conversing with one another.

"W-W-We're just a few...days away from the f-f-final battle with Z-Z-Zephyr. Hopefully it won't...b-b-be the start of...the apocalypse," rasped Oblique.

"I feel the same way too, if it isn't perhaps we can work towards redemption for all we've done wrong," responded Q.

"Y-Y-Yes, hopefully we will come out victorious that...way I can work t-t-to make up for...my dark deeds that I am a-a-ashamed of," stated Oblique.

"Yes, that way one day I can cast off this metal monstrosity thta engulfs my humanity," added Q referring to the mask that covered his face.

"I know...I've k-k-killed so many, I w-w-wonder if...I'm too late to redeem...m-m-myself," sighed Oblique.

"I don't think so, just being here is a step in the right direction, you're doing fine," answered Q.

Oblique nodded as him and Q continued to converse Elsewhere in the locker area, Chela Castillo sat with her notepad scribbling more song ideas down, as she sat engrossed in her hobby, Quock Xie came over to her and sat down next to her listening to music on his portable music player.

"Hey Chela, what you doing over here?" inquired Quock.

"Oh, just scribbling down some new song ideas, I'm surprised at how much inspiration I'm getting from being here," answered Chela.

"Ah, I've been listening to your music a lot as of late, I really like it, in fact, I'd like to put you in one of my movies," stated Quock.

"Well, that sounds like fun, I'd love to act in one of your films, as long as you don't make some stupid damsel in distress puta, it's all good," commented Chela.

"Hey, don't worry about that, I won't, I find nothing wrong with a kick ass female, I kinda like it," replied Quock.

"You kinda like it?" asked Chela.

"Ok, I like it a lot, and I'm sure the fans would as well," remarked Quock.

Meanwhile, Hans Van Bratten was busy doing a set of pushups and working up quite a sweat as he looked up and saw Unoka Muir doing a Capoeira routine and stopped what he was doing to study Unoka's style.

"Hey Unoka, that style of yours is quite interesting if I do say so myself," remarked Hans.

"Ah yes, it takes many years to develop the flexibility necessary to effectively master the art of Capoeira," said Unoka.

"I see what you mean, I'm probably far too buff to do that stuff," said Hans.

"Eh, it is a difficult art to learn, but I'm glad my sister took the time to teach me this, I really hope Zephyr does fall for nearly bringing an end to her life," remarked Unoka.

"Me too, for what he's done to my brother, no one touches my family," responded Hans.

"I feel the same way as you my friend," added Unoka.

As Hans and Unoka conversed about their families, in another part of the locker area, Wilfred Black and Xavier Jackson were talking about the exact same thing.

"It's been rather boring since I've been eliminated from the tournament, I just want to go home and see my wife and kids, I've proven my point that I can hang with the younger folk," said Wilfred.

"Hey buddy, I miss my wife an my son too but I still wanna see Zephyr get his dues so I can have my job back, I wanna be able to provide for my family," chimed in Xavier.

"Yeah I know chap, growing up poor is rather horrid, I never want my kids to go through that, I know you want the best for your young one as well, When you go back to your CWA, I will support you there bloke," piped Wilfred.

"Hey thanks buddy, and I'll be sure to by car parts manufactured by your company to keep your family well off," replied Xavier.

"Well it's good to know we have each other's backs in this situation," said Wilfred.

"We got to, we're all here for the same reason, plus us family men gotta stick together," stated Xavier.

"Up for a little spar later on there?" asked Wilfred.

"Sure thing, don't wanna let my skills get rusty like a neglected car," answered Xavier.

Back in the Lee's locker area, Yun, Yang, and Yin Lee all relaxed on chairs feeling somewhat bummed out since they were all out of the tournament now.

"I'm so bored, if I had known I would have been taken out so early in the tournament, I would have brought more things to do," grumbled Yun.

"Quit whining Yun, think about Hoimei and Shaomei back at home, we're here for them," retorted Yang.

"Yeah, but I must partly agree with you Yun, whateve we may do to kill time now won't be as exhilarating as fighting," said Yin.

"I really hope Kaoru is doing ok back in our village," thought Yun.

"Hey don't worry bro, Kaoru is strong and can handle just about anything that may get thrown her way," chimed Yang.

"Besides, have faith in the remaining fighters, I'm sure one of them will get the job done," replied Yin.

"I'll do my best to think that way," said Yun as he played around with his favorite hat.

Out near where the double doors were, Frederick Lowe, Pietro Omakovski, and Sano Tezuka were talking about one of their favorite subjects, girls.

"Damn, although I can't wait to get back to my girl at home, I can't deny that I love being here with this feisty yet fine fighting females," commented Frederick.

"Yeah, but how does it feel that you lost your fight to one of them?" asked Pietro.

"It felt crappy at first, but she gave me a good fight, whoever the lucky man that calls Skye his girl is very lucky," answered Frederick.

"What makes you say that eh?" inquired Pietro.

"Well if she's that fierce on the battlefield, then she has to be quite energetic in the sack," answered Sano.

"Exactly what I was thinking there buddy, too bad Skye's still underage, but in a couple years, can you say OH YEAH!" remarked Frederick.

"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about, you guys would right at home on my hockey team," piped Pietro.

"That would be nice, but I think I'll pass, hockey just isn't the sport for me," said Sano.

"Ah yeah, but hey chicks dig a man in an athletic uniform," quipped Pietro.

"I think girls like a guy in any uniform as long as it's not a janitor's uniform," stated Frederick.

"Amen to that brother!" said Sano and Pietro in unison.

In a hallway on the other side of the locker area, Ibuki, Makoto, and Ryu were all sitting on the floor cross legged in a meditative state, Ibuki however was having a hard time concentrating.

"Whew, it's been a long time since I've meditated this long, usually I'm busy with my other job," sighed Ibuki.

"Well try to concentrate, being stronger mentally helps you become a better fighter overall," snapped Makoto.

"Now Makoto, some people just have their own methods of mentally strengthening themselves, not all fighters are the same," spoke Ryu.

"I just can't see how else though," said Makoto.

"Well, you're used to the traditional methods of martial arts, but I guess for me, I don't think I could see myself doing the stuff you do, just as my pants wouldn't fit on you," remarked Ibuki.

"Of course they wouldn't , besides, I don't like wearing stuff that shows off how big my ass is," retorted Makoto.

"If you got it, why be ashamed of it, now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go see Sean before his match," said Ibuki as she walked off to Sean's locker room.

"Now Makoto, let us resume our meditation, leave Ibuki to whatever she feels will help her in her road to be a great warrior," said Ryu.

"All right Ryu," piped Makoto as she sat back down and allowed herself to go back into deep concentration. Meanwhile, Vicki Small, Scott Wagner, Amy, and Datta were looking over some of the Z Project files that Datta and Isabella had obtained the previous night.

"A lot of the stuff that is in these documents is mind boggling, I can't really come to a conclusion as to what all of this means," said Vicki.

"Vicki, we haven't read through read all of it, we probably won't understand anything until we finish reading all the documents," commented Wagner.

"Yeah, I'd say once we completely analyze each page of the document, we should find some answers," added Amy.

"That would be the most logical way outside of obtaining information from an Illuminati member that would know about this," added Datta.

"You mean like me," spoke a voice nearby.

"Who just said that?" asked a startled Wagner.

Out stepped a blonde female in a gray colored suit coat with a blue blouse underneath, a gray skirt, and black heels. Vicki immdiately as Gill's secretary, Kolin.

"Agent Kolin, I was wondering why you've been on this investigation for so long," gasped Vicki.

"Well, let's just say I'm deeply engrossed in this mission, plus Gill's not so bad after all," replied Kolin.

"What is she talking about?" inquired Amy.

"She's fallen for Gill and she's willing to help us rescue him from Zephyr because she feels Gill can help us in finding a way to end his father's treachery," answered Datta.

"Yes, I'll meet you at the hotel later tonight, we're going to infiltrate the Illuminati dungeon and free Gill. Make sure you're adequately prepared," said Kolin.

"Affirmative, we shall engage in this mission no questions asked,"" replied Vicki.

"Except for any questions we may have for Gill," added Wagner.

"Yes, I shall assist in any way possible," spoke Datta.

"Thanks, you truly are a good man Datta, I'm glad to have you around," cooed Amy.

In Godo's locker room, Godo Kanzuki, Mitsukake Kagatoshi, and Tomoko Nakamura were busy talking about Godo's upcoming senior year of high school.

"Now Godo, I hope you don't think I'm gonna let you off easy since you helped save the world, you have to work just as hard to graduate as everone else," informed Mitsukake.

"Oh that's no big surprise, I wans't gonna ask for any favors like that anyways," responded Godo.

"Heh, I know Godo well enough to know that he doesn't need any favors like that, he's a tough cookie, and stubborn as hell, like his mother," commented Tomoko.

"Hey, you can be a lot more stubborn than I can at times," retorted Godo.

"Miss Nakamura, you have been quite a troublemaker too back in high school, don't you forget that," added Mitsukake.

"I know, but I do want to redeem myself for all the hell I've given you and my family these past few years, that's why I'm here," responded Tomoko.

"Hey, at least you have ambition to do something better with your life, that's more than most people have, you'll do just fine Tomoko," stated Godo.

"Thanks, I'm sure I can do something great, just look at that Kabuki actor Sodom, he used to be a gangbanger but he turned his life around," said Tomoko.

"Yeah, it's a shame those other gang members couldn't do the same, now they're all in jail. I'm glad you found your way to stay out of the big house," piped Mitsukake.

"Yup, and I'll be sure to keep my nose clean during school, no need to get expelled during my last year in high school," added Godo.

Meanwhile, the other eight fighters had just awoken from their naps and walked out to see some of the others ready to cheer them on.

"Well, the third round should be starting up pretty soon, time to get properly warmed up so that I don't get a hernia or something like that," commented Sean.

"Indeed, that's just as bad as losing your shorts in the water, both suck equally," remarked Brock.

"Heh heh, well we won't have to worry about that here, just stay concentrated on your fight and we'll be fine," said Skye.

"Hey Mel, are you sure that you'll be fine facing off against your girlfriend?" asked Marcos.

"It is a bit weird, but hey, we'll still be in madly in love with each other no matter what happens in the fight," answered Mel.

"Exactly, Mel hit it right on the head, I'm not gonna break up with him if I lose or anything like that," added Kiyomi.

"Speaking of fights, are you a little worried about Isabella, with Rose's soul inside of her, you're in for an arduous battle," stated Alex.

"I'll be ok as long as I'm careful, but I've always wanted to know how Rose got inside of Isabella," remarked Marcos.

"Rose, are you willing to tell thse folks that story again?" asked Isabella.

"Yes, you all are wondering how I wound up inside Isabella, listen closely, as you know during a battle with the nefarious Bison long ago, his body was destroyed and his soul merged with mine. After his lackeys made him a new body, my soul was ransferred into that body with his and they cremated my body. However, during my time merged to that ne'er-dowell, I found a way to split off from him again, and I did so just as a man named Akuma brought Bison's life to an end so I was able to ascend to Heaven while Bison was dragged down to Hell, where he'll never be able to escape from," answered Rose.

"And when did you possess Isabella?" inquired Skye.

"A few years ago, I was watching the Illuminati's actions down from the heavens, now Gill is not evil, but his brother Urien looks to throw a monkey wrench in Gill's plans and use the Illuminati for darker purposes, I decided I needed to be a warrior again, but my body had long been destroyed, so I decided to take up residence in Isabella because she seemed like a pure soul, plus she lived in the place I used to live at during my lifetime. Since then I've been trying to find a way to keep the world safe and allow Gill to use the Illuminati for his own purposes and keep Urien from swiping control from Gill," answered Rose from inside Isabella.

"Although I feel we are going to have to team with Urien as well as Gill on this match, since we'll probably need them both in order to help us in quelling Zephyr's malicious plans," piped up Alex.

"Indeed, but we must be wary that he won't turn on us, but there is not much else we can do other than ally ourselves with an enemy for the time being," spoke Rose.

"Is this what you told my family when I met you back in Nagoya?" asked Sano.

"Yes, that's what she told them, and why we need you here, it is a Bushin's custom to quell evil, but that's what we all came here to do, whether or not we were aware of it before hand, we must fight hard, and we must all believe that each of us bears the potential to cause Zephyr's downfall," commented Isabella.

"Right, we can do this, the worrld is depending on us!" replied in everyone in unison, each with confidence exuding from their voices. Back outside in the arena, Zephyr took his seat again ready to watch the start of the third round.

"Back to the grind of watching these feeble humans struggle for meaning in this world that carries nothing that means anything to a deity. Although I must commend these warriors for coming here, their attempts at stopping the destiny I have set for them are futile. Just as you cannot change the Bible, my prophecy and my grand master plan for this world will not be altered, no matter what," spoke Zephyr to himself as he merely looked on half excited, half bored.

Author's Note: Well, another downtime chapter down, and we learn more about some of the characters. Did you like my idea of making Kolin a Secret Service Agent? Also note this, with the exception of Rose (and Gill since he has Resurrection) any character that dies or is already dead will stay dead for any future follow ups to this fic. I'm not saying anyone is going to die, but just to let you know anyways. We'll learn more after the third round is finished. Speaking of the third round of the tournament, that starts next chapter with Alex and Sean's fight. But until then, please read and review.


	50. Round Three, Fight One

**Chapter 49: Round Three, Fight One**

Zephyr's Island, late afternoon

The two hour break for the remaining fighters to rest had slowly winded down. The spectators of the tournament slowly began to fill the seats in the arena again. Zephyr watched from his box seat up high looking onwards observing each fighter closely. Soon, Triple R and Sue once again stepped out to the middle of the ring.

"Well, here we are again folks, back for more adrenaline rushing, butt kicking, bone crunching action in the third round of this tournament!" announced Triple R.

"That's right, we're drawing even closer to seeing who gets to face off against the mysterious Zephyr, prepare to have your socks knocked off so I hope you brought a spare pair," added Sue.

"Let's get the first match underway right now. First up, we have the reigning champ who plowed through his first two opponents no problem, and he's still aiming to hold that crown that king of Street Fighters should always strive to protect. He's the pride of New York, here comes Alex!" announced Triple R.

Alex burst forth from the double doors as determined as ever. He wanted to know what Gill saw in him and wouldn't rest until he got it. Alex was wearing his red headband as well as a light blue sleeveless shirt, bluish purple pants and dark brown boots. Alex started to stretch himself out a bit as he waited for the fight to start.

"And facing off against Alex is one of the heirs to Ansatsuken, he's come a long way to prove himself worthy of being an heir to that magnanimous style, his victories in the past rounds have proven that, and he's aiming to dethrone the champ, say hello once again to Sean Matsuda!" announced Sue.

Sean stepped out into the arena with a confident spring in his step eyeballing Alex the whole way down. Sean was clad in a yellow T-shirt, khaki colored pants, and yellow, green, and blue sneakers. He also had his dreadlocks tied back with a rubber band. Alex and Sean stared each other down as Triple R and Sue ran back to their announcer's table.

"Round 3, Fight!" announced Triple R and Sue in unison.

Alex and Sean slowly inched towards each other, keeping their gaze locked on one another. The two respected fighters both patiently waited to see what their opponent may try to pull. Alex reared his fist out as if he were going to throw a punch, Sean prepared to dodge the punch, but Alex faked the attack and grabbed Sean slamming him down with a Power Bomb. Sean rolled back to his feet hastily and put his palms together.

"Hadoken!" yelled Sean.

The blue ball of ki hurtled at the buff blonde, Alex parried the attack but didn't see Sean rushing in with a Sean Tackle and the Brazilian fighter grabbed Alex causing him to tumble to the ground and laid two hard punches into Alex's sternum.

"And both fighters are bringing the heat early, but can you blame them, it's going to take a lot of heat to cook these two," commented Triple R.

"And we know that one of them will be left charred black once this fight is over," added Sue.

As Alex got back up, he saw Sean aim a crouching jab at his shins, Alex blocked the attack and smacked Sean with a low kick. Sean reeled back from the kick and Alex threw out a knee to Sean's stomach which connected and Alex comboed the attack into an EX Flash Chop, sending Sean crashing back down to the ground. Sean performed another ukemi however and saw Alex jump into the air attempting an Air Stampede. Sean dashed backwards, barely avoiding Alex's bulk from falling on him. Sean then rushed up and hit Alex with a hooking fierce punch and chained it into a Cold Dragon Smash. Alex rolled back to his feet after hitting the ground and shook himself off to numb the pain of the frozen ki that had engulfed him.

"Heh, your master has taught you well, I'm impressed," said Alex.

"Thank you, but let's keep the formalities for after the fight is over," replied Sean.

"All right, come at me then!" shouted Alex.

Sean and Alex rushed at each other and Alex leapt into the air for a Spiral DDT as Sean dove in for a Sean Tackle, both missed each other completely and turned around to face each other again.

"Slash Elbow!" shouted Alex.

"Tatsumakisenpuukyaku!" hollered Sean.

Both attacks connected and sent the two warriors falling to the ground. Both quickly rolled back to their feet after falling onto the canvas and were soon back at each other's throats again. Sean threw out a kick to Alex's shins, Alex parried the blow and threw out a left cross punch to Sean's face. Sean parried the hit and smacked Alex with another Cold Dragon Smash. Sean leapt in for a kick as Alex was getting up, but Alex retaliated with an Air Knee Raid slamming Sean with his knee and driving the Brazilian into the ground.

"Ouch, and Alex drills Sean right into the ground, hopefully this young brawler won't be getting buried anytime soon!" announced Triple R.

Sean sprang back up as Alex got off of him, and threw out a roundhouse kick, Alex tilted his head back to dodge Sean's foot and as he tried to grab Sean, the Ansatsuken fighter decked the blonde brawler with a Hadoken and then smacked Alex with a quick combo into a Tatsumakisenpuukyaku, which sent Alex crashing down to the ground again.

"And Sean again demonstrates the prowess of the Ansatsuken style here, with him as an heir, the future looks bright for his fighting style," commented sue.

Sean threw out a Hadoken as Alex got up, Alex parried the attack as Sean ran at Alex for another Sean Tackle, Alex leapt over Sean and countered with his own attack.

"Flash Chop!" screamed Alex.

Alex belted Sean with a hard blow to the chest causing Sean to whirl back violently, while he was momentarily immobile, Alex grabbed Sean and put the fighter in a choke hold. Sean gurgled violently for air, but thinking instinctively Sean grabbed Alex's arm and flipped the buff man over his shoulders onto the ground. Alex scrambled to get up as Sean started breathing heavily.

"Do you give up?" asked Alex.

"No way champ, I've still got plenty of fight left," answered Sean.

"Good, then keep going," stated Alex.

"Fine then, don't be sore when I win though," retorted Sean.

Alex and Sean ran at each other again, the two warriors unleashing a barrage of attacks on each other. However, each strike that one of the warriors would throw out would immediately be parried by the opponent. As the brawl went on, some of the other fighters in the locker area were peeking their heads out watching the adrenaline fueled battle between Alex and Sean unfold before them.

"Oh my, I can't believe that Sean is giving Alex such a hard time in this match," gasped Brock

"He really has improved a lot over these past thirteen years," added Mel.

"Their fighting auras are about even, it's going to be tough to predict a winner," stated Isabella.

"That's good, a close match is always the best kind," remarked Marcos.

Finally, Alex successfully grabbed Sean and slammed him on his back onto the floor. Sean got back up as Alex went for another hit and swept the big man off of his feet. Alex rolled back to his feet, parried a Hadoken that Sean threw at him and dashed forward with a Slash Elbow sending Sean flying back onto the floor. Sean did another ukemi and pulled out another one of his special moves.

"Ryubi Kyaku!" shouted Sean.

Sean jumped in a wheel like motion, kicking Alex right on top of his head. Sean then chained his Ryubi Kyaku into a strong uppercut and did another Cold Dragon Smash.

"Oh, and once again, Sean looks to give Alex a bad case of frostbite with that Cold Dragon Smash!" announced Triple R.

Alex got back up and saw Sean spin at him with a Tatsumakisenpuukyaku. Alex dodged the spinning flurry of kicks and jumped at Sean slamming him down with a Spiral DDT. Sean rolled back to his feet again and saw Alex aim a knee at him, Sean parried the attack and hit Alex with a jab into a Hadoken, Alex absorbed the hit and upon recovering parried one of Sean's kicks and slammed Sean with a Power Bomb.

"And Alex responds back with a Power Bomb looking to explode and completely incinerate Sean in his explosive strength!" announced Sue.

"Well I think we've played around with each other enough, ready to bring out the heavy artillery?" inquired Alex.

"Yes, I think we should, that'll be a true measure of who's better," responded Sean.

Alex darted at Sean with an EX Slash Elbow, Sean hastily parried both hits and countered with a two punches into a Hadoken and triggered one of his Super Arts immediately afterwards.

"Shippu Jinrai Kyaku!" bellowed Sean.

Sean spun forward pelting Alex with a flurry of kicks and then spun upward into the air with an elongated Tatsumakisenpuukyaku. Alex flew away from Sean after about five kicks and hit the ground hard as Sean descended shortly afterwards. Alex slowly got up, Sean went for another Ryubi Kyaku to keep Alex down, Alex parried the strike and struck Sean with a knee into a Flash Chop and then triggered his own Super Art.

"You can't escape, Boomerang Raid!" boomed Alex.

Alex darted forward hitting Sean with numerous chops, after the barrage of high powered chops, Alex grabbed Sean and delivered a powerful suplex to the Ansatsuken warrior, Sean groaned in pain but still got back up and dashed back to get some breathing room and think about his next move.

"He's strong, I gotta be careful otherwise I'm done for," thought Sean to himself.

"This kid's got a lot of spunk, he could possibly take me down, better see what he's gonna do next," thought Alex to himself.

Alex and Sean slowly inched towards each other again, measuring each other up and see what the other had planned to win the fight. They glared at each other with a lot of intensity as they continued to wait and see who would attempt to strike first. Both Alex and Sean threw out a punch at the same time and both hits connected cleanly causing both men to stagger back. After regaining their composure they went at each other again, Sean aimed a kick at Alex's shins, Alex leapt up to avoid the kick and tried to hit Sean with a chop, Sean blocked the attempted strike and retaliated by trying to head butt Alex, Alex parried the hit and grabbed Sean by his shirt and struck him with his own head butt. Sean clutched his nose in pain as Alex glowed red ready to do his Hyper Art.

"You can't escape, Atomic Bomb!" roared Alex.

Alex moved forward and smacked Sean with four high powered chops, chained his chops into eight rapid fire head butts. Alex then suplexed Sean twice, did a Power Bomb, but still held his grip on Sean, and leapt even higher into the air for a second Power Bomb. Sean groaned as he hit the ground and Alex leapt away from him.

"Sean, c'mon buddy, get up, don't let that move take you down, you can handle it my student," called out Ken from the stands.

"Oh man, I know I'm not gonna be able to handle another attack like that, I'm gonna have to be even more careful if I wanna get out of this in one piece," grumbled Sean to himself as he slowly rose up to his feet.

"Heh, you're tough, I like that, but I guess you like getting knocked down too, allow me to give you more of what you want," taunted Alex.

"No thanks, one helping is plenty," retorted Sean.

"I guess had a fallout shelter to help him withstand the sheer power of Alex's Atomic Bomb, but what else do these two have in their arsenal," commented Triple R.

Alex and Sean ran at each other again, Alex threw out a Flash Chop, which was quickly parried, Sean countered with a Tatsumakisenpuukyaku, Alex parried all the kicks from that. Alex then tried to grab Sean again, but Sean dodged the grab and delivered a flurry of low kicks as his body began to glow red. Sean prepered to throw out his own Hyper Art.

"Tatsumakisenpuu Blizzard!" roared Sean.

Frozen ki gathered into Sean's legs as he spun forward pelting Alex with a frozen flurry of kicks, and then spun upward with a exra long Tatsumakisenpuukyaku, the icy energy emitting from Sean's feet added pain to the attack, and after about ten kicks, Alex hit the ground with a loud thud. Surprisingly, he got back up. Sean grumbled as he saw it, but as Alex started to walk forward, he dropped back down again and groaned in pain.

"Jesus," moaned Alex as he lie down on the steely floor.

"I can't believe it, it's a major upset, the champ is down and he's not getting back up!" gasped Triple R.

"Indeed it is a shocker, but it's actually happening righ in front of our eyes, that means the winner of this match is none other than Sean Matsuda!" announced Sue.

The crowd cheered loudly as Sean raised his fist in triumph. Ken smiled at his pupil and Sean smiled back, but he quickly turned his attention to Alex and helped the buff blonde brawler up to his feet.

"Ugh, well, you got me kid, good show," gasped Alex.

"Thanks, you gave a good fight champ, you truly are strong, there is something special about you, maybe when we find Gill, he can clear all that up for you," replied Sean.

"Heh, I respect you man, you truly are going to be a great successor to your master's style, good luck my friend," said Alex.

"Thank you, I hope we get another chance to fight again in the future," remarked Sean.

"I concur," responded Alex.

And without a moment's hesitance, Alex and Sean headed back into the locker area to allow the third round of the tournament to continue onwards.

Author's Note: Heh, sorry for the long wait, I've been too wrapped up with work and my new Wii. But I'm back in my groove and writing again. So I'm pretty satisfied with my third round kickoff. So Sean's the first to advance to the semifinals. Next match is Mel Masters versus Kiyomi. What will go down during his boyfriend and girlfriend battle? You'll find out next chapter, until then though, please read and review.


	51. Round Three, Fight Two

**Chapter 50: Round Three, Fight Two**

Zephyr's Island, mid evening

Kiyomi was sitting in her lokcer room getting as much rest as she possibly could before her next match. Unbeknownst to the other fighters, she was still in pain from the injuries she had suffered in her previous match, but still decided to soldier on and so she kept quiet about it.

"Damn, I don't know if I'm gonna be able to hold out for too much longer if I take more punishment, but I must be strong, there are so many depending on me," thought Kiyomi to herself.

"Hey babe, you ok?" asked Mel as he walked in to check on his girlfriend.

"Yeah, I'm doing just fine," replied Kiyomi hastily.

"Calm down, I know you're tense, hey I am too, it's not everyday that you actually fight your lover," remarked Mel.

"That's true, but we'll still be boyfriend and girlfriend once this match is over," stated Kiyomi.

"Of course we will, now let's go and get this over with," suggested Mel.

With that, the two warriors walked arm in arm over to the double doors. Outside in the ring. Triple R and Sue we're set to announce the next match.

"Hey folks, we've all heard of lover's quarrels have we not," remarked Triple R.

"We sure have, and this upcoming match is very similar to one of those seeing as how the competitors are boyfriend and girlfriend," announced Sue.

"This should make for some interesting atmosphere, so let's bring out the fighters. First we have San Francisco's heir to the Masters family fortune and another heir to the Ansatsuken style, who's here to show his girlfriend who wears the pants in this relationship, here comes Mel Masters!" announced Triple R.

Mel stepped out from the double doors and walked into the ring confindently, eyeballing Triple R a bit for his comments. Mel was clad in a bred and black vest with a black V-neck shirt underneath, blue jeans and black sneakers. His spiky blonde hair was tied up with a blue headband. Mel raised his fist to his father and turned around to face the double doors.

"And his opponent is Beijing's beautiful babe of martial arts madness, the adopted daughter of China's finest cop, literally, and she's here to show her boyfriend she likes to be on top, here is Kiyomi!" announced Sue.

Kiyomi walked out into the ring, staring down Triple R as well as she headed over to the center of the arena. Kiyomi was clothed in a blue and ellow qipao dress similar to what Chun-Li used to wear in combat along with white boots and her hair done up in buns. Her and Mel shared a quick kiss before taking their battle stances. Triple R and Sue were already back at their announcer's table.

"Round 3, Fight!" announced Triple R and Sue in unison.

Mel and Kiyomi slowly inched towards each other. The two lovers kept their eyes locked on each other as they waited to see who would go for the first strike. Kiyomi leapt in with a high kick towards Mel's face, Mel jumped bck and then stepped in aiming a kick at Kiyomi's midsection, the Chinese female blocked the attack and then threw out an open palm strike at Mel's ribs. Mel staggered back from the shot to the ribs and saw Kiyomi advance towards him and aim a sweep towards his feet. Mel leapt over the attack and threw out his own sweep knocking Kiyomi off her feet onto her back.

"I think when a girl wants to be swept off her feet, I don't think that's she has in mind, but that's what Mel has done," commented Triple R.

"And apparently you want Mel to rip your head off for your comments," added Sue.

"Kikoken!" shouted Kiyomi.

"Hadoken!" yelled Mel.

The two blue colored ki projectiles zoomed forward and collided with each other completely nullifying them. Mel and Kiyomi then darted at each other as Kiyomi threw out a Hyakuretsu Kyaku, Mel was riddled with numerous kicks and sent flying back. Mel however did an ukemi as he hit the ground and he saw Kiyomi jump at him, Mel though instinctively and countered with his own attack.

"Shoryuken!" hollered Mel.

Mel's fist went ablaze as he rose up into the air and snuffed out his girlfriend's attack with his Shoryuken. Kiyomi hit the ground hard, but hastily rolled back to her feet.

"Well, Mel and Kiyomi sure make a really hot couple don't they?" commented Triple R.

Mel ran at Kiyomi who patiently waited for him. Kiyomi launched out another Hyakuretsu Kyaku, but Mel parried all the kicks and grabbed Kiyomi by her collar and threw her down onto the ground. Kiyomi started to feel some pain in her chest area. She rubbed herself a bit to try and numb the pain as she stood back up. Mel was concerned, but he knew he had to keep his guard up.

"Uh, Kiyomi, are you sure you're ok?" asked Mel.

"Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry, the pain will eventually subside," answered Kiyomi.

"I sure hope so," said Mel as he resumed his attack against his girlfriend. Mel threw out a roundhouse at Kiyomi's stomach, Kiyomi parried the attack and aimed a palm strike at Mel's sternum, which was also parried. Mel then grabbed Kiyomi again and tried to throw her, but the Chinese female wriggled out of his grasp and countered with a special move of her own.

"Spinning Bird Kick!" hollered Kiyomi.

Kiyomi turned upside down and pelted her boyfriend with a series of kicks that had him staggering back a bit as she got back to normal and then ran at Mel and tossed him to the ground. Mel did an ukemi however and parried a Kikoken fired at him.

"Tornado!" bellowed Mel.

Mel spun at Kiyomi and hit her with four powerful kicks, as Mel hit the ground from his attack, he followed up the Tornado with a Shoryuken, lighting Kiyomi on fire and sending her crashing to the ground. Kiyomi did her own ukemi and saw Mel jump at her, she ignored the growing pain around her torso region and prepared to knock mel out of the air.

"Tensho Kyaku!" yelled Kiyomi.

Kiyomi arced upward smacking Mel with three hard kicks to the chin, Mel crashed to the ground and moaned a bit, but got back up just as Kiyomi landed back on the ground herself.

"This looks like an abusive relationship to me, but I can't tell which one would actually be the victim," commented Triple R.

Kiyomi aimed a high kick at Mel's head, Mel ducked under the attack and retaliated with his own move.

"Springboard 1080!" shouted Mel.

Mel kicked Kiyomi upwards and then leapt into the air after her and stuck both legs out and spun around three times delivering six kicks to her. Kiyomi hit the ground hard and groaned out in pain, she slowly rose back up, wiping away some blood from her mouth.

"Good Mel, don't hold back on me just because I'm your girlfriend, fight me as if I were Zephyr," remarked Kiyomi.

"I have to say the same to you, give me everything you got!" responded Mel as he wiped some sweat from his forehead.

Mel and Kiyomi darted at each other again, both going for many strikes. As the match between boyfriend and girlfriend heated up, Ken and Chun-Li both tad their eyes glued to the match as their kids went full force at each other.

"I tell you this Chun-Li, you really raised your daughter to be strong, but then again, you are the best female warrior that I know," stated Ken.

"Thanks, and your son is a great fighter as well, I have a feeling that their relationship will be quite a strong one," replied Chun-Li.

"Yeah, I agree with you on that wholeheartedly," said Ken.

As Mel and Kiyomi continued to launch attacks at each other, Mel was finally successful in getting in a strike and then comboed his attack into another Shoryuken, the flames surrounding Kiyomi fizzled out as she hit the ground. She got up again and then ran at Mel and prepared to launch a Super Art but before she could, she began to cough uncontrollably and start gagging up blood.

"Kiyomi!" screamed Mel in worry.

Kiyomi continued to cough up blood as Mel just looked on frightened for his girlfriend. Soon, the young Chinese girl stopped coughing and just collapsed to the ground completely unconscious.

"Kiyomi!" screamed Mel again kneeling over Kiyomi trying to bring her to her senses, but to no avail. Mel just stared at his girlfriend almost in a trance like state, he listened to her breathing which was heavily labored and just grimaced over Kiyomi's injuries.

"Careful, she might be playing possum," said Eliza.

"Eliza, Kiyomi was coughing up blood, I don't think she's playing possum, I think she really is hurt badly," remarked Ken.

"Oh my god, my poor daughter," gasped Chun-Li. gazing down in horror at the unconscious Kiyomi.

"I know, this is not good at all, she doesn't look good at all," stated Ken.

Triple R and Sue just gasped as they observed what was going on in the arena, everyone was fixated on Kiyomi lying still as Mel cradled her in his arms.

"Well Mel Masters wins the fight by default, but our question is what's wrong with Kiyomi, will she be ok," said Sue.

"I agree, no man should have to go through this with his woman, I feel sorry for the poor guy," commented Triple R.

All the fighters in the tournament ran out into the ring along with the medics and helped try to console Mel while the medics started immediately administering care to Kiyomi.

"Whoa, she was coughing up blood really bad, she must be doing horribly," gasped Alex.

"I wonder why she didn't say anything about it though," piped Unoka.

"She didn't want to bow out of the tournament," answered Skye.

"Yes, she's a strong willed girl, she was going to fight no matter how badly she was injured," added Brock.

"Damn, those injuries she suffered from the last fight must have really taken it's toll on the poor girl," gasped Chela.

"This sucks big time," grumbled Frederick.

"I'm sorry I messed her up so badly in her last fight, it's my fault," cried Tomoko.

"Don't feel bad Tomoko, Kiyomi's strong, she should be fine," replied Mel.

"Yeah, don't be hard on yourself lass, I know Kiyomi would tell you that too," added Wilfred.

"Damn, I hope she's ok, hopefully this won't cause any permanent damage to her," remarked Xavier.

"I think the medics will take good care of her, but who knows how long it'll take for her to fully heal," said Marcos.

"Maybe Isabella can use her Soul Power to help her out," chimed in Datta.

"Let me see her for a moment, I can probably speed her healing process with some Soul Power," said Isabella.

Isabella knelt down over Kiyomi and placed her hand over the injured warrior's heart and a blue surge of ki shot into Kiyomi. The unconscious girl jumped a bit and then began breathing regularly again.

"She should be ok after a while, but she should still rest and get some proper medical attention," remarked Isabella.

"Please be all right Kiyomi," cried out Mel as he saw the medics carry his girlfriend away to get some medical attention.

"Hey man, just remember, keep your head in this, that's what she's gonna want from you, we need to defeat Zephyr so you two can have a guture together," remarked Sean.

"You're right, I'll be fine, let me just rest for a while," responded Mel as he walked back into the locker area. The other fighters all followed Mel to further console him and help him keep his head straight. Chun-Li, Eliza, and Ken all walked off to the medical area to check up on Kiyomi as Zephyr just sat in his little area with an amused smirk on his face.

"Heh, that girl is quite a fighter, she may serve some purpose after all, she will be integral to my disposal of these pathetic wastes of space on this planet. I shall make her one of my slaves and have her eliminate her friends for me. The when she's done serving her purpose, I shall take care of her personally." said Zephyr to himself.

Zephyr continued to ponder over how best to utilize Kiyomi for his own personal use as the other fighters all sat in the locker area waiting for the next fight to be announced and praying for Kiyomi's health while the medics were busy making sure she was properly taken care of. Over in the Illuminati headquarters dungeon. Gill stood in his cell, he felt a cold wind blow from his cell, and he knew something bad was going down.

"Damn, my father is planning to turn the fighters against each other, I have to find a way out of here and get to the others before he goes through with his crazy plans," thought Gill to himself.

Gill returned to pondering on how he would escape the dungeon and how to put a halt to his father's sinister plans to sabotage the tournament. Urien just sat brooding angrily about being locked up and wondering what Gill had in mind.

Author's Note: Well, another chapter done and Mel advances to the semifinal round., Yeah I know some of you may be surprised that I had Kiyomi collapse during the fight. But don't worry, she'll live, but what will Zephyr attempt do to her? You'll have to wait until the next downtime chapter to find out. Next chapter however will be the battle between Marcos Ortega and Isabella DiMarino. How will Dudley's protege do against the woman Rose's soul is occupying, you'll find out next chapter. However, until then, please read and review.


	52. Round Three, Fight Three

**Chapter 51: Round Three, Fight Three**

Zephyr's Island, mid evening.

Although everyone was still in concern over Kiyomi's health after she had collapsed in the last match, they knew that they had to move on in order to make sure she along with everyone else would have a future and so the tournament would proceed on as normal. However, the atmosphere of the area was a lot more somber now as the fighters all pondered what was going on with their injured comrade.

"Great, first Kiyomi goes down in battle, now I have an uphill battle ahead of me," grumbled Marcos to himself as he tightened his boxing gloves.

"Do not worry about what the outcome may be, just go forward unafraid and become stronger that way," spoke Isabella.

"Yeah, you do speak the truth on that matter, ok I will do just that," replied Marcos.

Outside in the arena, Triple R and Sue once again stood in the center, microphones in hand preparing to announce the next match of the tournament.

"Well folks, they say the third time is a charm, so let's prepare for a charming third match in this third round," commented Triple R.

"That's right, let's see how charming a match between a boer and a pizza chef's fiancee can be," added Sue.

"First up we have Oakland's boxing beast, who beat down his first two opponents brutally, and now this plucky pugilist is looking to punch out this calzone cutie, once again, give it up for Marcos Ortega!" announced Triple R.

Marcos stepped out into the ring eyes focused on the center here Triple R and Sue stood, he pumped his fists as he walked out. Marcos was clothed in a black bandana, a white tank top, blue jeans, and blue and white sneakers. Marcos raised his fist in the air towards Dudley and then turned to face the double doors.

"And his opponent is Genoa's soul sister who singed her two opponents with the awesome might of Rose's Soul Power, and she's looking to use Rose's soul to make another opponent wilt, once again, here's Isabella DiMarino!" announced Sue.

Isabella emerged from the doors and locked her eyes onto Marcos as she walked forward. Isabella was clothed in a red and white striped shirt, black pants, and red shoes as she took her battle stance, Marcos responded by taking his stance as Triple R and Sue got back to their announcer's table.

"Round 3, Fight!" announced Triple R and Sue in unison.

Marcos rushed forward taking Isabella's words to heart to push forward unafraid and threw out a strong hooking punch. Isabella dodged the blow and threw out her own punch which Marcos promptly parried and then smacked Isabella in the stomach with a body blow and then quickly chained his body blow into a Rocket Thruster lighting Isabella ablaze and sending her skyward. As Isabella hit the ground, she quickly rolled back to her feet and saw Marcos dart at her again, Isabella threw out her scarf in front of her.

"Soul Spark!" yelled Isabella.

The blue colored projectile hurtled forward and smacked Marcos across his chest causing the Mexican boxer to stagger back from the hit. Isabella rushed forward and threw out a high kick to Marcos's face, Marcos quickly swatted Isabella's foot away and thre out a jab to the Italian female's face. Isabella parried the attack and swept Marcos, knocking him down, Marcos hastily rolled back up and saw Isabella run at him again, Marcos immediately shot forward and unleashed an attack of his own.

"Drill Punch!" shouted Marcos.

Marcos spun forward decking Isabella in the ribs with a powerful punch and sending the female warrior crashing to the ground.

"Marcos is definitely has some powerful tools at his disposal, that drill punch will definitely drill some major holes into Isabella!" commented Triple R.

"That is true, moves like that can turn anyone into Swiss cheese though," added Sue.

"It's good that you've taken my words to heart, but don't rush in blindly, otherwise you'll fall fast," warned Isabella.

"I won't be falling at all if I can hlp it, I will make it to the top of this hill," boasted Marcos.

Marcos and Isabella ran at each other again, Marcos threw out a body blow but Isabella dodged the punch and decked Marcos with a knee to the stomach, Marcos doubled over and Isabella followed through with another attack.

"Soul Spiral!" hollered Isabella.

Isabella wrapped her scarf around her fist and blue flames enveloped Marcos as he went flying back, the fire went out as Marcos hit the ground, Marcos did yet another ukemi as he saw Isabella leap in with a kick, Marcos dashed back causing Isabella to miss her kick and then Marcos rushed with a one-two punch to the face and chained his punches into his own special attack.

"Flamethrower Blow!" roared Marcos.

Marcos's fists began to glow orange as he pelted Isabella with numerous rapid fire punches that lit Isabella on fire, Isabella went sailing backwards but the flames fizzled when she hit the ground. Isabella slowly got back up and shook her head to regain her composure. Marcos jumped up and threw out a a strong punch, Isabella leapt up into the air and grabbed Marcos by his shirt.

"Soul Throw!" shouted Isabella.

Blue flames covered Marcos as he hurtled downwards out of Isabella's grasp and onto the steel canvas. Marcos quickly sprang back up and as Isabella darted forward and threw a jab at Marcos, Marcos dodged the jab and hit the Italian female with a right cross and chained into another Rocket Thruster. Isabella rolled back to her feet and wiped up her sweat with her scarf.

"Well this a fiery match, like a pizza fresh out of the oven and topped with the hottest chili peppers!" announced Triple R.

"I never liked chili peppers, they always gave me heartburn," remarked Sue.

"Marcos, you truly do possess a strong will, but this fight will belong to me, that's all there is to it," stated Isabella.

"I'd hate to break it to you, but if you aim to walk away with the victory, I won't make it easy for you to obtain, because both you and I want the same thing," retorted Marcos.

"You still have a lot of fight in you, I shall dispel that from your person," said Isabella.

"Sorry, but that's an objective you'll fail at!" replied Marcos.

Marcos and Isabella charged at each other again letting loose and both threw out a punch at each other, both hits connected with thier targets and the two warriors staggered back from each other. Isabella threw out a Soul Spark and Marcos rolled under it and countered with a Drill Punch flooring Isabella yet again. As Isabella rose back up, Marcos got ready to smack her with another Flamethrower Blow, but didn't see Isabella's counterattack coming.

"Soul Reflect!" screamed Isabella.

Isabella's scarf whip sent Marcos flying back and hitting the floor again, Marcos did another ukemi as Isabella jumped into the air and threw out a roundhouse, Marcos started moving in snake like motions and as Isabella's foot was about to contact with the Mexican boxer, Marcos retaliated with a move of his own attack.

"Culebra Counter!" bellowed Marcos.

Marcos blocked Isabella's kick and darted forward with a hard dashing punch knocking Isabella down again. Isabella performed her own ukemi and saw Marcos look as if he was going to leap into the air, but he faked his leap and Isabella's assumption caused her to leap into the air for a Soul Throw, but she whiffed her throw and Marcos capitalized on the error by chaining a one-two punch into another one of his moves.

"Toro Charge!" shouted Marcos.

Marcos darted forward and host forth a punch aimed straight at Isabella's sternum, the punch had so much oomph that Isabella was knocked back onto her back, but she still got back up again and threw forth a Soul Spark, Marcos parried the attack and stuck out a body blow, Isabella parried the punch and smacked Marcos with a punch to the face and chained her punch into a Soul Spiral. Marcos went flying back, but quickly scrambled back to his feet and rushed down Isabella again. The Italian female tried to knock Marcos away with a Soul Reflect, but the Mexican boxer parried the scarf whip and countered by pelting Isabella with yet another Flamethrower Blow. When Isabella got up, she dashed back to give herself more breathing room and plan out her next attack.

"Wow, this is one blazing inferno right here, but how long will it be before one of these fiery fighters fizzles?" asked Triple R.

"I think I've let you play long enough, now to take you out of this game so I can go to the next round!" said Isabella.

"I was thinking the same thing, except that our roles were reversed when I was thinking about it," replied Marcos.

Marcos sped forward with a Toro Charge, Isabella rolled out of the way of the attack and before Marcos could recover from the whiffed strike, Isabella struck him with a knee to the stomach and her body glowed blue as she unleashed one of her Super Arts in an effort to take Marcos out.

"Aura Soul Throw!" yelled Isabella.

Isabella charged forward smacking Marcos hard in the chest with her elbow, she then sent the boxer upwards with an uppercut and while Marcos was still airborned, Isabella leapt upwards after him and tossed him downwards with a powered up Soul Throw. Marcos groaned as he hit the ground, but he still got up, albeit a bit slowly.

"Dios mio, that was painful, I gotta be careful, this chica is very strong. I better plan my next move very carefully," thought Marcos to himself.

"Well I see it'll take a stronger dosage of Soul Power in order to mark a victory for me, well then, prepare yourself!" shouted Isabella.

"Been prepared, I just hope you are ready for what I have in store for you!" retorted Marcos.

Isabella ran forward ready to give Marcos another sizzling Super Art, but Marcos pulled out the Culebra Counter right as Isabella stuck out her attack and before Isabella was sent flying back by Marcos's counter punch, Marcos activated his own super Art.

"Corkscrew Drill!" bellowed Marcos.

Marcos spun forward, blasting Isabella with a super powered Drill Punch that rattled Isabella with numerous hits. The Italian female fell to the ground and grumbled to herself as she slowly got back up.

"He's a lot tougher than my other two opponents, I wonder what it is about him that makes him so strong, I must press on," thought Isabella to herself.

"I say, that lass is giving Marcos quite a good show, I wonder if he'll turn out all right after the match is all said and done," remarked Dudley.

"And this match is looking to go out violently like a dying star releasing the last of its gases," commented Triple R.

"Indeed, this finale is bound to be a hot one, but who will be on the receiving end of the heat," commented Sue.

Marcos and Isabella darted at each other yet again, both fighters started to unleash a wave of attacks, neither attack seemed to hit as both warriors dodged and threw out attacks with ferocity. Eventually, both connected with a hit at the exact same time, the two staggered away from each other and both decided it was time to pull out the big guns in their arsenals.

"Time to go for the TKO!" stated Marcos.

"If you think you can do so, then come on, it's time to end this little scuffle," replied Isabella.

Both fighters bodies began to glow a bright red as the two brawlers were set to use their Hyper Arts to go for the big finish.

"Soul Explosion!" screamed Isabella.

Isabella threw her scarf forward which was crackling with green electricity, Marcos rolled out of the way of the scarf and unleashed his own Hyper Art.

"Fuego Del Toro!" roared Marcos.

Marcos's fists started to glow a red-orange color as he darted forward, before Isabella could redirect her scarf, Marcos riddled her with numerous punches which enveloped Isabella in flames. Marcos laid about twenty furious punches into Isabella and then he chained his combo into a Flamethrower Blow and then doing a move similar to the Shinryuken, Marcos lifted Isabella into the air inflicting more damage to her. Finally Marcos delivered the coup de grace punch while he was still airborne and sent Isabella falling back down to earth, she hit the ground with a resounding thud and everyone looked wide-eyed at the downed fighter.

"Urgh, you...win," gasped Rose and Isabella in unison.

"And the powerful bull has just smoked yet another opponent with his flaming fury, meaning that this match is over!"announced Triple R.

"And this means that the winner of the match is Marcos Ortega!" announced Sue.

"Excellent work Marcos," said Dudley, saluting his student from the stands.

Marcos pumped his fist in the air happy that he won his match. After taking a moment to soak in his recent victory, he went over to Isabella and assisted her in getting back to her feet.

"Hey, you ok Isabella?" asked Marcos.

"Yes, I am in shock that you were able to overcome me, those words I told you must have really motivated you, I'm sure that you will do great, althouh I do not know which of ywill face Zephyr yet, I know that seeing you in action gives me great faith that no matter who faces him, that they will do just fine in the battle," replied Isabella.

"Well thank you, and believe me, like you said, we all march forward unafraid," remarked Marcos.

"That is good, we are glad that you have learned a great lesson from this fight," spoke Rose's soul through Isabella's body.

"No problem, now let's get back to the locker room and get patched up," suggested Marcos.

"Yes, I concur," replied Isabella.

Without any more hesitance, Marcos and Isabella walked through the double doors back into the locker area so that way the next match could get underway.

Author's Note: Well another chapter is finished and Marcos is now heading into the semifinals. The third round is almost over, and the final match of that round is next chapter, Brock Irvine versus Skye Hawk. Lots of twists and turns coming up during these next few chapters. But what will the outcome of the Brock and Skye match be, you'll have to wait until next chapter to find out, until then however, please read and review.


	53. Round Three, Fight Four

**Chapter 52: Round Three, Fight Four**

Zephyr's Island, mid evening.

As darkness washed over the island that the tournament was taking place on, the final battle of the third round was soon to start. Brock Irvine and Skye Hawk were off in their locker areas warming up for their match. Both felt they had a lot to prove being that both considered themselves lucky to be in the third round.

"Man, Ryu let me win that last round when he could have easily decimated me, I have to go out there and get me a real victory," thought Brock to himself as he stretched out his legs.

"I won last round by a judge's decision, that means I need to step up my game if I'm gonna get to the semifinal round," thought Skye to herself as she tightened her boots and prepared to head for the double doors.

At the same time Skye headed for the double doors leading to the arena, Brock also exited his locker room and headed in the same direction, both looked at each other briefly, but didn't say anything to each other as they waited to be announced. Outiside in the arena, Triple R and Sue both were in the center again ready to announce the next match.

"Well folks, the third round is coming to an end, nad I'm sure it'll be a wild finish as we see who the last participant in the semifinals will be," said Triple R.

"That's right, time to see whether a nature lover or a surf bum will be moving forward to the next round," added Sue.

"Our first opponent is the strongest surfer in Sydney, he wiped out his first two opponents in his powerful wave and he's looking to drown yet another warrior, so once again folks, give it up for Brock Irvine!" announced Triple R.

Brock stepped out into the ring looking confident, he quickly ambled over to the center of the ring and let out a powerful battle cry. Brock was clothed in a khaki colored vest with a black tank top underneath, khaki colored shorts, and brown leather boots. Brock then turned around to face the double doors and wait for the match to start.

"And his opponent is the thunderous heir to the Thunderfoot tribe, hailing from Tucson, she tore apart her first two opponents like a vicious hawk and she's out looking for new prey to feed on this round, again, show some love for Skye Hawk!" announced Sue.

Skye burst through the double doors also walking very proudly. Skye was clothed in a blue feather headband with a bright green top, blue denim shorts, and brown feather boots. Skye walked to the center of the ring and her and Brock took their fighting stances as Triple R and Sue took their battle stances.

"Round 3, Fight!" announced Triple R and Sue in unison.

Brock and Skye wasted no time in going after each other right off the bat. Brock threw out a straight fist to Skye's face, Skye ducked under the attack and aimed a low kick at Brock's feet, which Brock leapt over. Brock then threw out a low roundhouse which Skye promptly parried and then Skye aimed a chop at Brock's chest which was also parried. Brock stuck out a knee to Skye's stomach and successfully connected with the attack, Skye doubled over and Brock chained his successful strike with one of his special techniques.

"Tiger Uppercut!" shouted Brock.

Brock lifted Skye into the air with a multi-hitting upeercut move. Skye hit the ground hard but rolled back to her feet quickly and saw Brock dart at her.

"Condor Spire!" screamed Skye.

The Native American female leapt forward and smacked the Australian with powerful double handed chop sending Brock onto the floor, but Brock did his own ukemi and threw out a high Tiger Shot, Skye ducked underneath the projectile and dashed at Brock aiming an elbow at his face, Brock blocked the elbow and countered with a crouching fierce punch to Skye's knees, Skye parried the attack and got a clean hit on Brock with a chop to the face, Brock retaliated however with a sweep knocking Skye back down again.

"Well, Brock is determined to make Skye wipe out in this fight, but let's see if he succeeds in doing so," commented Triple R.

Skye did another ukemi as she landed on the ground again, she saw Brock leap at her and thinking quickly, Skye countered with another move of hers.

"Tomahawk Buster!" shouted Skye.

"Skye rose up into the air, driving her head right into Brock's abdomen and sending him back down onto the steely canvas.

"And Skye is going completely savage too, here's hoping Brock doesn't wind up getting smoked like a peace pipe," commented Sue.

Brock rose back up to his feet with great speed, Skye dashed hastily at the tall Australian, but did not see Brock's next attack coming right at her.

"Dingo Claw!" hollered Brock.

Brock rushed forward and swiped at Skye with a powerful claw like strike which nailed Skye cleanly and put her back down on the ground. Skye scrambled back to her feet and leapt into the air preparing for a deadly air strike.

"Condor Dive!" roared Skye.

Skye dove down at a breakneck speed and rammed head first right into Brock. The force of the Condor Dive sent Brock flying back and landing hard on his back. Brock moaned in pain, but still managed to get back up. Skye threw out a high kick, Brock parried the strike and retaliated with a strike of his own.

"Kangaroo Kick!" shouted Brock.

Planting both hands on the ground firmly, Brock jutted both feet forward and decked Skye cleanly on her abdomen, Skye doubled over in pain and Brock quickly followed suit by knocking Skye back on the ground with another Dingo Claw.

"And these two wild warriors are defying all of the Darwin laws, it's mind boggling!" announced Triple R.

"Indeed, it's a wonder as to which beast will be one to fall first," added Sue.

"Well Brock, you're a tough warrior, I appreciate the challenge that you are giving me," said Skye.

"No problem there girl, but you know that I'm still gonna be the top dingo when this match is all said and done," retorted Brock.

"I disagree, I will be the one soaring forward, and I'll prove it to you here," replied Skye.

"Well if you disagree, then come and prove me wrong," responded Brock.

The two warriors ran towards each other yet again, Brock threw out a kick, but Skye parried the attack, grabbed Brock by the vest and threw him away from her. As Brock did an ukemi to get back to his feet, the threw out a Tiger Shot, but Skye though fast as she saw the projectile hurtle towards her.

"Hawk Reflector!" yelled Skye.

A blue barrier materialized in front of Skye sending the Tiger Shot back where it came. Brock fired another Tiger Shot, making it collide with his previous one and wound up nullifying them both. Skye dove in attempting another Condor Dive, Brock jumped back making Skye whiff her attack. Brock then responded with his own move.

"Surfboard!" yelled Brock.

Brock slammed Skye onto the ground face first and immediately jumped on her back and started riding her like a surfboard. Brock got off after a while, and as Skye got back up Brock ran at her with a Dingo Claw, however, Skye parried the claw and grabbed Brock for her own special move.

"Thunderfoot Typhoon!" screamed Skye.

Skye leapt high into the air and spun Brock around in her arm and as she descended she slammed Brock down hard on his head, and then leapt back giving her some room to plan her next move. Brock slowly got back to his feet and shook his head vigorously to regain his composure then took his fighting stance yet again.

"Wow, and Brock recoveers from a mind scrambling Thunderfoot Typhoon, that's impressive!" announced Sue.

"Well, he's rode some tough storms as a surfer I guess, so I'm sure he's used to nature's wrath," added Triple R.

Skye leapt at Brock for another Condor Spire, Brock parried the leaping chop and comboed a low fierce punch into a Tiger Uppercut sending Skye sailing back and groaning in pain a bit before rising back up again.

"Hey Brock, you ready to go for the real stuff?" asked Skye.

"Yeah, I hope you can handle the strong shit," replied Brock.

"Oh you better believe I can," retorted Skye.

"I'll have to see that for myself to believe it," said Brock.

Both warriors ran at one another again and started throwing out attacks which were all dodged, blocked, or parried, neither fighter could get a hit in on each otehr for a while. Eventually, Brock threw out a knee to Skye's stomach, Skye parried and successfully got a clean hit in with a fist to Brock's face, Skye then glowed blue as she unleashed a Super Art.

"Raging Typhoon!" yelled Skye.

Skye grabbed Brock by the head again and spun in the air doing a Thunderfoot Typhoon, but instead of letting Brock go, the Native American female held her grip on the Austrailian surfer and leapt into the air again and slammed Brock on his head again, Skye still held tightly to Brock and leapt high into the air again and slammed Brock down a third time, and finally released him. Brock rubbed his head in pain as he sat up, but he stoon sprang back to a standing position trying to ignore the throbbing pain in his skull. Skye ran at Brock again and tried to hit Brock with a Tomahawk Buster, but Brock dodged the upwards body blow attack and as Skye landed Brock kicked her in the face and his body glowed blue as he unleashed his own Super Art.

"Boggo Road Blast!" bellowed Brock.

Brock hastily pelted Skye with two Kangaroo Kicks and then chained those kicks into a powered up Tiger Uppercut that smacked Skye eight times, as Skye started to fall back down to earth, Brock nailed her with a powered up Tiger Shot while Skye was still airborne, Skye flew back about ten feet and moaned in pain, but still slowly got back up ready to fight some more.

"That young woman is quite tough, she's really taking everything Brock is throwing at her quite well, and at such a young age, it's a marvel," mused Sagat from the stands.

"C'mon Skye, you can conquer this trial, be strong, for you are the next chief after I retire," called out T. Hawk.

"Hey not bad stuff, for an appetizer I should say," taunted Skye.

"Oh you wanted the full course, I'll gladly give it to you, hopefully it won't be more than you can chew, we don't want you choking," teased Brock.

"I'll swallow you whole, like a hawk does with a worm," stated Skye.

"Sorry, but I'm not on the menu today so I'm gonna have to cancel your dinner plans," retorted Brock.

"It seems both we're all getting a good feast with this fight, but I'm sure someone is going to get some bad indigestion sooner or later," commented Triple R.

Brock and Skye charged forward again, Brock let out a snap kick, but Skye ducked under Brock's long leg and hit the surfer with a sweep, Brock rolled back to his feet and saw Skye throw out a punch to Brock's ribs, Brock grabbed the female's fist and flung her over his shoulders onto her back. Skye did her own ukemi as Brock threw out a low Tiger Shot aimed at Skye's feet, Skye leapt over the projectile and ran at Brock and smacked him in the chest with a hard double handed chop. Skye's body glowed red as she prepared to try and take Brock down with her Hyper Art.

"Sacred Thunderfoot War Cry!" shouted Skye.

Skye threw an uppercut in an attempt to trigger her Hyper Art, but to her surprise, Brock parried the uppercut, which completely snuffed out Skye's Hyper Art. Brock started laying a flurry of kicks into Skye until the Native American female became disoriented. As Skye started to stagger about in a dizzy state, Brock's body glowed red as he gathered energy for his own Hyper Art.

"Wild Dingo Wipeout!" roared Brock.

Brock sped at Skye and riddled her with eight rapid fire Dingo Claws, and immediately after the last Dingo Claw connected, Brock slammed Skye onto the ground like he was doing a surfboard and then proceeded to leap onto Skye's back six times, afterwards, he lifted the battered warrior up to her feet and decked her with two Tiger Uppercuts. As Skye started to fall to the earth, Brock unleashed a powered up Tiger Shot, sending Skye flying back and hitting the ground hard.

"Oh...no," moaned Skye as she tried to rise back to her feet but just fell back down unable to get back up again.

"And the match is over, and the hawk's wings have been clipped!" announced Triple R.

"That is correct, which makes the winner of this match Brock Irvine!" announced Sue.

Brock raised his fist triumphantly as he was announced the winner of the match, Sagat nodded to his student to congratulate him.

"You fought well my daughter, don't worry, we'll find a way to restore our home," said T. Hawk.

After taking a moment to savor his win, Brock walked over to Skye and lifted her up and held her up so she could walk.

"Ugh, good fight, I'm just a little disappointed that I lost," grumbled Skye.

"Don't be sad, your dad is correct, we'll get you the money that you'll need to rebuild your tribe's land, no matter how much it may take," assured Brock.

"You sure about that?" asked Skye.

"Yeah, I'm gonna donate money that I win from surfing competitions and endorsements I may get to helping your people out," answered Brock.

"Well thank you Brock, you truly are kind, I wish you luck in the next round," said Skye.

"Thank you, now let's go get some rest," suggested Brock.

Skye nodded in approval as her and Brock headed back to the locker area, Triple R and Sue again walked out to the center of the arena.

"Well, the third round is now officially over and we're nearing the end of the tournament, soon we will get to see who goes on to face Zephyr!" announced Triple R.

"That's right, tomorrow, obth the semifinal round and the final round will take place, these last few matches should be ones you won't want to take your eyes off of," announced Sue.

"We will begin the fights in the afternoon tomorrow, plenty of time for those remaining four fighters to get plenty of rest," said Triple R.

"Indeed, let's see what our semifinals look like," added Sue.

"Fight one will be Sean Matsuda versus Mel Masters," said Triple R.

"And fight two will be Marcos Ortega versus Brock Irvine," said Sue.

"So go get some rest everyone, we don't want you nodding off during these last few awesomely great fights. So good night and we'll see you here tomorrow!" exclaimed Triple R.

With that, all the spectators left the arena to turn in for the night, Zephyr looked on amused as he walked out of the arena too.

"Well, my grand performance is coming up shortly, but I really don't feel like waiting idly by for that fight, maybe I'll have a little fun with these warriors that have come here just to try and change their inevitable destiny, they will learn not to toy with a god," spoke Zephyr maniacally.

Author's Note: The third round is over and the semifinals will be approaching fast, but the next chapter will be some downtime, and also expect a lot to revealed in the next chapter which will include the mission to rescue Gill among other things. So I'm off to go work on that chapter, but until then, please read and review.


	54. Intermission Three

**Chapter 53: Intermission Three**

Zephyr's Island, late evening

As many of the fighters rested after the long day of fighting, Some of the warriors were prepared to go on the mission to rescue Gill from captivity and have him assist them in bringing Zephyr down.

"Have we got all the supplies necessary to assist us on our mission?" inquired Vicki.

"Hold up, I'll double check and be certain, just give me a couple of minutes," answered Wagner as he walked towards his hotel room.

"Well make it fast, we cannot waste too much time if we are to save Gill," called out Vicki.

"Be back in a flash!" replied Wagner from afar.

As Wagner headed down the hall to his hotel, he saw some people in lab coats walk by, however they didn't notice Wagner. Curious as to what the two scientists we're up to, Wagner hid behind a wall and listened in on the scientists conversation with a tape recorder in his hand.

"I can't believe we have to do this to that poor girl," grumbled scientist number one.

"Well if we don't, Zephyr will kill us, and I don't know about you, but I don't want to die," replied scientist number two.

"Well, he'll most likely kill us anyways, I just don't feel right having to inject his mind control probe into that girl that collapsed earlier today," sighed scientist number one.

Upon hearing that, Wagner had to work hard to hold in his gasp as to not give away that he was eavesdropping on the conversation. He continued to listen onward to whatever else the lab rats may have had that could be useful news.

"Well, I know it sucks, but if we don't do it, he'll most likely just get another flunky to do it, or actually inject the probe himself, let's just get it over with," grumbled scientist number two.

As the two scientists begrudgingly walked towards the area where Kiyomi was, Wagner quickly shut off the recorder and came out from his hiding place.

"Holy shit, I can't let that happen to Kiyomi, I have to let everyone know," said Wagner to himself.

Wagner ran down the hall until he saw Vicki the blonde Secret Service agent whirled around and saw Wagner running toward her and looked on surprised.

"Wagner, what the hell is going on?" asked Vicki.

"Go get everyone, I just found out something huge, real bad news, we gotta get everyone here quickly!" shouted Wagner.

Vicki didn't even ask any questions, her and Wagner went off in different directions to go and wake all the other fighters. Within five minutes, Vicki and Wagner had gathered all the participants in the tournament and they all wondered what Vicki and Wagner wanted.

"I suppose you're all wondering why we all had you gather here, well I just found out something I think we need to stop right now," said Wagner.

"I might have guessed that, your voice did have a panicky tone to it," stated Alex.

"So what's the big deal?" asked Frederick.

Wagner pulled out the tape recorder and played the conversation he heard to the others, upon hearing what Wagner had heard earlier, numerous gasps of horror had arisen from the crowd.

"Oh my God, I can't believe they would do something like that to Kiyomi!" gasped Yin.

"What the hell are we doing sitting around here then, we have to go save her!" shouted Mel.

"Well, we will save her, but in case you forgot, we're also on a mission to save Gill as well. If we're to save them both, we'll have to split up into two groups. One group will go on the recon mission to save Gill, the other will save Kiyomi," stated Kolin who walked over to the gathering.

"Agent Kolin, glad you could join us, I'll lead the rescue team for Gill along with you," said Vicki.

"I'll lead the Kiyomi rescue team," stated Wagner.

"Then I'm going on Wagner's team," piped up Mel.

"Mel, Sean, Marcos, Brock, you four need to stay behind. With you guys still active in the tournament, we have to make sure that you guys are still in top shape for a fight with Zephyr," stated Wagner.

"What's the point of staying behind, I'm going to save my girlfriend, I can't sit idly by and wait for results!" shouted Mel.

"Mel, calm down, Wagner does have a point, the fate of the world does rest on one of us remaining four's shoulders," remarked Sean.

"If I can't save one person, then how I'm I gonna be able to save the entire world, I'm sure Kiyomi would do the same for either one of us if we were in her shoes, I'm going no matter what, my mind's made up!" retorted Mel.

"I have to agree with Mel, I wouldn't be too comfortable sitting here twiddling my thumbs hoping for the best, I'd rather be out there actually helping out," chimed Marcos.

"I'd like to help out in one of these rescues as well, I'm sure we'll all be ok," piped up Brock.

"Fine, count me in as well," said Sean.

"Very well, then let's organize the teams quickly, we cannot delay these missions any longer!" ordered Wagner.

Vicki and Wagner started to pick candidates for their teams. Ultimately the teams were divided up as follows. The Gill rescue team consisted of Vicki, Kolin, Sean, Ibuki, Makoto, Brock, Oblique, Q, Datta, Amy, Mitsukake, Hans, Frederick, Wilfred, Quock, and Pietro. The Kiyomi rescue team consisted of Wagner, Mel, Marcos, Tomoko, Godo, Xavier, Isabella, Alex, Skye, Unoka, Sano, Chela, Yun, Yang, Yin, and Ryu.

"All right, we all set, let's get down to business fast!" suggested Isabella.

"I agree, I shall teleport my team to where Gill is being held, everyone join hands now," ordered Datta to his teammates.

Without a moment's hesitance, the Gill rescue tam all jointed hands and as Datta concentrated his thoughts on where he wanted to go, the entire team vanished teleporting away to where Gill was being held.

"We better get going ourselves before Kiyomi becomes one of Zephyr's puppets," suggested Xavier.

"Correct, I'll get us all to where Kiyomi is, do like the other team just did," ordered Isabella.

Mimicking the Gill rescue team, the Kiyomi rescue team all joined hands as Isabella concentrated her thoughts on Kiyomi. They eventually teleported away as well to wherever Kiyomi was.

Illuminati dungeon, late evening.

As the Gill rescue team reached their destination, they saw a barricaded door with a scanner right in the middle of the door.

"Ok, how are we gonna get that door open?" asked Quock.

"That's a retinal scanner, only certified Illuminati personnel will be able to open this door, luckily, I happen to be one of them," answered Kolin.

Kolin walked forward and put her eye to the retinal scanner, a blue beam shot out of the scanner and diagnosed the retina that was in front of it.

"Retinal scan approved, opening doors now," beeped a computer.

The door to the dungeon made a mechanical whir and flew open, showing a rather dimly lit area, only the staircase leading downstairs was visible.

"Careful, this area is most likely heavily guarded, so be on guard yourselves," warned Kolin.

The others nodded in acknowledgement and all proceeded down the stairs to the dungeon. Upon entering, a machine gun turret descended from a ceiling panel, everyone jumped back to avoid the gunfire.

"Sonic Boom!" screamed Amy.

Amy fired forth her projectile attack which completely destroyed the gun turret. The rescue continued their trek down to the dungeon afterwards.

"Wait! There's another security system here, we don't want to trip it," called out Kolin.

Immediately, a series of lasers emitted from the walls covering most of the area between them.

"Leave this to me," said Datta as he teleported to the other side of the lasers and deactivated the security console on the other side of the laser wall.

"Boy are we lucky we brought him on our team," stated Wilfred.

After the lasers were deactivated, the team pressed forward and soon found themselves at the end of the staircase, and looking at numerous cells. One cell in particular was glowing a strage purple color.

"That's where Gill is being held, that aura around his cell issomehow negating his powers to where he cannot get out, we have to destroy the force field in order to free him," stated Kolin.

"Well then, let's get to it and save him, and any other prisoners that may be down here!" said Ibuki.

As the rescue team rounded the corner, a legion of guards ran out each brandishing a different type of weapon. The rescue team got into battle positions and charged at the guards full force.

"Don't stand in our way!" yelled Makoto as she punched a guard square in the face and sent him flying into the one behind him.

A guard swung a giant club at Wilfred, who quickly leapt back to dodge the swing and then rushed in with a Oxford Red, but cancelled his attack into a Super Art.

"Manchester Gold!" shouted Wilfred.

As Wilfred incapacitated that guard, another buard with a mace ran at Brock, and the guard was quite skilled with his weapon, Brock retrated back knowing he couldn't get close with the guard swinging his mace like a maniac.

"Crap, this is gonna be tough, I can't get too roughed up otherwise I'm screwed in tomorrow's fights," grumbled Brock.

"Mega Hadou Burst!" shouted Sean, unleashing a Super Art right into that guard knocking him out and saving Brock's hide.

"Hey, thanks mate!" said Brock.

"We need to get to that cell, we can't be wasting time with all these guards!" shouted Mitsukake as he kocked away a guard carrying a whip.

"Don't worry, me and Oblique will handle it, you guys just clear our path!" ordered Q.

"Sure thing, Yoga Inferno!" shouted Datta as he fired forth his Super Art in order to keep some of the guards at bay as Q and Oblique started to charage through the guard's barrier.

"Y-Y-You go on ahead... Q, I'll deal w-w-with whoever m-m-may come our... way," gapsed Oblique as his body glowed red, showing that he was ready to use his Hyper Art.

"Advanced Mutation!" hollered Oblique.

Oblique's form grew taller and more muscular, his claws and teeth grew longer. But despite his added mass, he also gained speed as he rushed down hte guards, neither of them had chance to react before Oblique struck them down. Q ran onwards to Gill and Urien's cell and looked at a control console on the cell door.

"Damn, I don't have time to try and decode this, so here I go, Total Destruction!" shouted Q activating his Super Art.

Q's entire body glowed orange and he grabbed the control console on the cell and a huge explosion emitted from Q's body. The force of the explosion destroyed the console that was powering the force field, causing the barrier to dissipate, however Q had been blown back by his own attack, and much to the shock of the others, his mask had fallen off. As the barrier completely disappeared, Gill burst out of the cell and Urien quickly followed suit. The guards all ran in terror as they saw that Gill had escaped. Brock and Hans began looking the other cells, and saw a few familiar faces. A skinny man with shaggy brown hair clad in a red tank top and shorts and a man that looked like a longer haired version of Hans.

"Paul!" shouted Brock.

"Gunter!" shouted Hans.

"Whoa, brother, you came to save us?" asked Gunter.

"Sure did, we're here to set you free!" answered Hans.

Brock looked in the corner and saw a middle aged looking Mexican woman clothed in a green dress.

"I'm guessing that woman is Marcos's mother, Rosalinda," said Brock.

"Que? Marcos is here, where is my mijo?" asked Rosalinda.

"He's off saving another one of his friends, we came here to get you out of here, you'll see Marcos again soon, let's get them to the hotel that our loved ones are at," suggested Frederick.

"I shall take them there, and then we must begin work on stopping my father," said Gill.

"How do you propose we do that?" asked Pietro.

"That barrier had a weird power to it, it nullified mine and Urien's powers, if we could harness that somehow, maybe we could give my father a taste of his own medicine," answered Gill.

"So are you saying that we have to work together brother?" asked Urien.

"For the time being yes, I'll take these people to the hotel, you infiltrate the laboratories and I will meet you there, get going," ordered Gill.

"I'll go with you Gill, I'm not letting you out of my sight anymore," said Kolin.

Urien sped off towards where the Illuminati laboratories were as Gill, along with Kolin, teleported Paul, Rosalinda, and Gunter to where the fighters family and friends were staying, as Gill teleported away, they saw a now maskless Q stand up and walk over to the tothers. What they all saw was a dark skinned man, most likely African American with a long face, he had dark brown eyes and short yet neat black hair, he also sported a neatly trimmed mustache and beard.

"Q, it's you, who are you exactly?" asked Amy.

"I shall tell you another time, right now we should back to the island before more guards come our way," answered Q.

"Well, ok, but can you at least tell us your real name?" asked Sean.

"My real name, is Quentin if you must know, now let's go!" barked Quentin as he picked up his mask off of the ground.

Without any more delay, the Gill rescue team joined hands and teleported back to their hotel on the island.

Illuminati Laboratory, late evening.

In the meantime, the Kiyomi rescue team had their hands full with a number guards trying to keep the fighters away from the operating room where the procedure to inject the mind control probe into Kiyomi's brain was going to take place.

"Get out of our faces!" yelled Unoka as he kicked a guard away, but then saw another one come towards him with a stun gun.

"Brave Dance!" shouted Unoka as he leapt towards the guard with a Super Art that his sister Elena had taught him, which resulted in the guared getting riddled with numerous kicks before being sent flying by a powerful roundhouse into another guard.

"Suck on this maricons!" shouted Chela as she fired forth her Maximum Max Out Super Art knocking away another legion of Illuminati guards, but she didn't see one run at her with a sabre in his hand.

"Chela look out!" screamed Tomoko as she whipped her chain out knocking the sword out of the guards hand, and then Tomoko unleashed her own Super Art to knock out that guard.

"Overdrive!" yelled Tomoko.

"Damn, how many of these guys does Zephyr have under his employment?" grumbled Sano.

"Too many, does that answer your question," answered Alex as he sent a guard crashing to the ground with a Power Bomb.

"But yet, something doesn't feel right, why would Zephyr have this many followers if they know he's bad news?" asked Skye.

"I sense that they all have mind control probes inside of them, I shall attempt to neutralize them, but they'll need to be knocked out first," answered Isabella.

"That's all fine and dandy, but we can't be spending all our time doing that, Kiyomi still needs our help!" shouted Mel as he threw out a Shoryuken sending a guard flying out a window.

"Mel you go ahead, we'll clear the path for you!" shouted Yun.

"Are you sure about this? You guys don't need me?" asked Mel.

"Hey we're more than capable of handling ourselves, we aint weak you know," replied Yang.

"I'll go with him, someone needs to watch his back," announced Marcos.

"Good luck you two, may the warriors spirit be with you," called out Ryu as he fired forth a Shinkuu Hadoken at a swarm of guards that were running at him.

Mel and Marcos ran past the guards, any that tried to attack them we're immediately put down by their allies that had accompanied them. As they ran down the corridors, more guards came at them head on, Mel leapt over the guards heads and Marcos plowed through them with a Toro Charge, knocking them all down like bowling pins. After a while of running, the two warriors eventually came across a door that said in big bold letters OPERATING ROOM.

"This is the place, let's save Kiyomi fast," said Marcos.

"Couldn't agree with you more," replied Mel as the two burst through the door to the room where they saw Kiyomi lying on a hospital bed sleeping, and then they saw two doctors approach her, one of them had a needle in his hand, it was the needle with the probe inside of it, Marcos and Mel rushed forward, freaking out the two doctors.

"Get away from her with that needle!" shouted Mel.

The doctors ran out of the lab screaming and dropping the needle in the process, Mel and Marcos looked at the sleeping Kiyomi and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Whew, we got here just in time amigo, we kept her from being some mindless muñeca," remarked Marcos.

"Yeah, don't worry Kiyomi, you're gonna be ok now, we're here for you," said Mel as he leaned in and lightly kissed his girlfriend's forehead.

Just then, Isabella ran in and saw that Mel and Marcos had successfully prevented Kiyomi's brainwashing. The Italian female then walked up to the sleeping Chinese girl and placed her hand on Kiyomi's heart. Once again, a surge of Soul Power shot from Isabella's hands and into Kiyomi's body.

"She'll be just fine, but let's take her back to the hotel pronto!" suggested Isabella.

"I agree, let's get back post haste," added Marcos.

"Uh...Mel," gasped Kiyomi weakly.

"Kiyomi, what is it?" inquired Mel.

"Thank...you," said Kiyomi.

"You are welcome, we are glad to help, now rest, you shall have your strength back soon," said Isabella.

Within minutes, the Kiyomi resuce team all gathered together and joined hands, and were soon teleported back to the island.

Zephyr's Island, late evening

As the Kiyomi rescue team teleported back to the hotel, the Gill rescue all ran over to see that Kiyomi had been saved and were relieved to know that the scientists had failed to inject Zephyr's mind control probe into her.

"Good, all of us were successful in our missions, Kiyomi is safe, and Gill and all of Zephyr's other prisoners have been freed as well," stated Vicki.

"Really, my mother is free?" asked Marcos.

"Yeah, she's at the hotel where the others that came with us are staying," answered Brock.

"So where is Gill now?" inquired Wagner.

"He is away at Illuminati laboratories devising a way to strip Zephyr of his powers in order to help us in bringing him down," answered Quentin.

"Who is this guy, and why is he dressed like Q?" asked Alex.

"It is Q, I can feel his ki and it's the exact same as Q's I guess his mask was removed during the brawl," said Ryu.

"Correct, but right now, let us retire to our rooms, I'll tell you more on who I am tomorrow," suggested Quentin.

The others all nodded in approval and all went back to their hotel rooms to rest up for the following day.

Zephyr's office, late evening.

"Master Zephyr, I have bad news!" cried out a battered guard as he ran up to Zephyr.

"Why am I not surprised, well speak you worm," snapped Zephyr.

"Well, the fighters found out about our plan to control Kiyomi's mind and thwarted our efforts to do so, and not only that, but they freed all of our prisoners from the dungeons," cried the guard.

"You fools, you are worthless sheep that deserve to be led off a cliff, get out of my sight at once!" shouted Zephyr.

As the guard ran off in terror, Zephyr looked out his window at the islandm and started to snicker maniacally.

"Those fighters must learn a lesson on not to toy with a deity, they will all feel my rage as I wash over all of them like a great flood that will drown the whole planet. And this time, there will be no ark for them to call a safehaven, these fighters will pay for defying a god, they will pay for trying to sabotage my glorious project." spoke Zephyr as he stormed off to go plan another way to tamper with the warriors of the tournament.

Author's Note: Well, another chapter down, and we got to see what Q looks like without a mask on. After the two semifinal matches I'll elaborate more on Q's background, as well as reveal Zephyr's master plan for mass genocide. But the next chapter is the first match of the semifinal round, Sean Matsuda versus Mel Masters. Who will be victorious in the battle between the heirs of Ansatsuken? You'll find out next chapter, but until then, please read and review.


	55. Semifinal Round, Fight One

**Chapter 54: Semifinal Round, Fight One**

Zephyr's Island, early afternoon

In the locker area of the stadium, Sean Matsuda and Mel Masters were stretching themselves out for their upcoming match against each other. As the two got themselves warmed up, Ryu walked over to the two Ansatsuken fighters and they immediately looked over at him.

"Sean, Mel, I must say that Ken has taught you two well. I see a lot of promise in both of you guys for you have immensely powerful fighting spirits," said Ryu.

"Thanks Ryu, that's means a lot coming from you," replied Sean.

"No problem, now go out there and honor our style well, show them what Ansatsuken is all about," ordered Ryu.

"You got it!" exclaimed Mel.

Both Sean and Mel bowed to Ryu as a show of respect and walked off towards the double doors to the outside of the arena where Triple R and Sue were both in the center of the ring to announce the upcoming fight.

"Well folks, the semifinals are now about to get underway, and like a pot of water that's been sitting on an oven burner for too long, I'm boiling over with excitement as we draw closer to see who gets to square off with Zephyr!" commented Triple R.

"That's right, and for you Ansatsuken aficionados, this is the match for you as the two successors of the style are going to throw down against each other in this match!" added Sue.

"First off, from Rio De Janeiro, he's pulled off some amazing victories and and a major upset last round by beating the champ of the last tournament. He's out to put yet another fighter on ice in his bid to win the whole shebang. Give a shout out to Sean Matsuda!" announced Triple R.

Sean walked out into the ring to a nice applause, he exuded confidence from every inch of his body. Sean was clothed in a red karate gi as a tribute to his master Ken. As Ken saw this, he smiled big and gave a thumbs up to his protege, Sean returned the thumbs up and turned around to face the double doors.

"And his opponent is San Francisco's son of the Shoryuken. And as the son of Ken Masters, he has burned through many strong contenders in this tournament and is looking melt another fighter that stands in the path of his flames, so give it up for Mel Masters!" announced Sue.

The double doors swung open again and Mel walked out with a determined look on his face as he stared at Sean. Much like Sean, Mel was alos clothed in a red karate gi like the one his father would wear into battle. Ken applauded even louder as he saw his son paying tribute to him. Mel and Sean took their fighting stances as Triple R and Sue went back to their announcers table.

"Semifinal round, Fight!" announced Triple R and Sue in unison.

Sean and Mel wasted no time in rushing at each other. Mel threw out an overhead kick in an attempt to confuse Sean, but the Brazilian martial artist, grabbed Mel's leg and swept the other one sending Mel to the floor early on in the fight. Mel rolled back to his feet however and saw Sean aim a cross punch at his abdomen, Mel parried the strike and threw out a knee to Sean's abdomen causing him to double over. Mel took advantage of Sean's state by grabbing Sean by his gi shirt and flipping the older fighter over his shoulders and back first onto the ground.

"And this match is off to a blistering start, I still wonder whether the heat or the chill will be the one to blow over all of us and blow into the final round," commented Triple R.

As Sean scrambled back up to his feet, Mel fired forth a Hadoken, Sean retaliated by firing his own Hadoken to nullify Mel's. Both projectiles fizzled into nothingness and the two Ansatsuken fighters rushed at each other yet again. Sean aimed a roundhouse at Mel's head, the blonde fighter tilted his head back which caused Sean to barely miss connecting with his attack. Mel then threw forward a straight fierce punch at Sean's face, Sean parried the hit and swept Mel off of his feet. Mel did another ukemi and saw Sean speed towards him for a Sean Tackle, Mel thought fast and pulled out a counter move.

"Shoryuken!" shouted Mel.

Mel ascended upwards with his fist ablaze, nailing Sean three times with his fiery fist, Sean flew back about eight feet but the flames left his body as he hit the ground. Sean rolled back up quickly ready to fight some more.

"Well, Mel kicks on the burners, bu I'm sure Sean will be looking to ice them over," commented Sue.

Mel sprinted towards Sean and threw out a sweep, Sean leapt over Mel's foot and pegged the blonde warrior with a hard punch to the face followe by a hook punch to the sternum and then chained into one of his own special attacks.

"Cold Dragon Smash!" yelled Sean.

Sean ascended upwards with a double fisted uppercut, freezing Mel over with his cold ki, and then with another punch while still airborne, the Brazilian and Japanese martial artist send Mel crashing downwards onto the floor, the frozen energy dissipated from Mel's body as he made contact with the ground.

"C'mon, you're crazy to think you can take me out, I'm far more experienced than you are," taunted Sean.

"Don't be arrogant, you never know what will happen," retorted Mel.

Sean and Mel ran at each other again, Sean let out a roundhouse kick towards Mel's chest, Mel parried the blow and threw a jab at Sean who also parried Mel's fist, Sean aimed for a grab, however Mel swatted Sean's hand away and countered with an attack of his own.

"Springboard 1080!" hollered Mel.

Mel let loose a high kick knocking Sean up into the air. Mel then followed suit and spun around three times nailing Sean with six powerful kicks, as Sean fell to the ground, he did another ukemi and as Mel descended to the ground, Sean smacked Mel with a Hadoken and while Mel staggered back from the Hadoken, Sean rushed forward for a Sean Tackle and knocked Mel to the ground, punching him twice while he was still grounded. Sean then leapt off of Mel and dashed back to get some breathing room.

"And Sean is tackling this match hard like a defensive lineman sacking a quarterback, I wonder what Mel will have under his sleeve to try and go for the touchdown!" commented Triple R.

"Well, this is more intense than a football game, but keep your eyes peeled for an awesome play, anything can happen when Ansatsuken is involved," replied Sue.

"Tornado!" shouted Mel.

"Tatsumakisenpuukyaku!" yelled Sean.

The two warriors spun at each other at high speed, both attacks connected at the same time and sent the two flying away from each other and hitting the ground with a loud thud. But both Mel and Sean sprang back up at the exact same time and laughed.

"Hey, I will admit this is fun, but I gotta put you on ice, no offense," said Sean.

"And I gotta melt you into a little puddle, no offense," responded Mel.

"I'm definitely proud of my two students, no matter what the outcome may be, I can definitely say that I know they'll represent Ansatsuken well," stated Ken.

Mel leapt into the air and went for a Jackknife Drop, Sean dashed back making Mel whiff the attack, Sean then hit Mel with a hard punch and chained it into a Super Art.

"Frigid Shoryu Cannon!" bellowed Sean.

Frozen ki circulated around Sean's fist as he rose up hitting Mel with an uppercut and then did another Shoryuken like maneuver sending Mel up with him. Numerous hits riddled Mel before he went down shivering as he landed on the steely canvaas.

"Shit, that hurt, gotta stay cool, just not in the way that Sean is aiming for," thought Mel to himself.

As Mel got back up, he saw Sean leap in for a Ryubi Kyaku, Mel parried the kick and smacked Sean with a kick to the abdomen before unleashing his own Super Art.

"Hyper Tornado!" shouted Mel.

Mel rushed forward smacking Sean with one of his old Super Arts, Mel unloaded a huge flurry of punches and kicks before knocking Sean upwards with a powered up Tornado followed by supercharged Ryubi Kyaku to knock Sean to the ground.

"And the two warriors of Ansatsuken are really doling out the heavy punishment stuff. But they've shown that they can handle it, but who will be the first to throw up from digesting too much pain," commented Triple R.

Sean scrambled back up hastily and saw Mel fire a Hadoken as he got up, Sean parried the blue ball of ki and rushed forward as if he were going for a Sean Tackle, Sean faked the tackle however throwing Mel off guard and allowing Sean to clock Mel with another combo as his body glowed blue again signifying that Sean was going for another Super Art.

"Shippu Jinrai Kyaku!" screamed Sean.

Sean spun forward unleashing a flurry of kicks before spiraling upward with a powered up Tatsumakisenpuukyaku. Mel did another ukemi as he hit the ground and as Sean descended, Mel glowed blue and unleashed his own Super Art into his friend.

"Shoryu Justice!" roared Mel.

Mel launched forward, pelting Sean with two Shoryukens, then followed up with a Somersault Shell like his uncle Guile, and then finished off the Super Art with a Shinryuken. Sean hit the ground hard, but still he managed to get back up.

"Urgh, I never imagined that Mel would give me such a good fight, but then again, he's been training with Ken almost as long as I have, so I guess that's understndable, but I can't allow myself to lose, not now," thought Sean to himself.

As the match went on, Ibuki and Kiyomi were peeking out from the double doors watching their boyfriends duke it out with each other.

"Hey Kiyomi, shouldn't you be resting?" asked Ibuki.

"I'll be ok, I couldn't stand just laying around, I wanted to watch Mel fight, I want to support him," answered Kiyomi.

"Wow, he's lucky to have you as his girlfriend," remarked Ibuki.

"Thanks, Sean's lucky to have you as well, you're definitely a sweetheart," replied Kiyomi.

"Heh, well let's just watch and let them know how much we love those two," suggested Ibuki.

Kiyomi nodded as her and Ibuki continued to look onward, silently cheering on their respective beaus. Meanwhile, Mel and Sean were still at each other's throats trading blows back and forth. Mel eventually grabbed Sean by the gi shirt and flipped the dark skinned warrior over his shoulders and threw Sean to the ground. Sean then rolled away before rising up to his feet. Blood and sweat ran down the warrior's foreheads and both were breathing heavily. The two smiled at each other as they stared each other down.

"Well it's been fun playing around with you Mel, but it's time to put you away," taunted Sean.

"Conversely, it may be you that gets put away, let's go!" replied Mel.

Mel and Sean rushed at each other again and as Sean threw out a Sean Tackle, Mel went over his head with a Tornado, both whirled around after recovering from their moves to face each other again. The two then launched out another barrage of attacks at each other. Both fighters matching each other blow for blow Mel then threw out a kick towards Sean's face, Sean parried the attack and countered with a snap kick to the abdomen causing Mel to double over, Sean's body began to glow red as he went for his Hyper Art.

"Tatsumakisenpuu Blizzard!" shouted Sean.

Sean spun forward with frozen ki circulating around his legs. Unfortunately, Mel recovered before the first kick connected and dove out of the way of the Hyper Art causing Sean to completely whiff his attack. Sean groaned in disbelief as he recovered from his missed Hyper Art.

"Aw, poor Sean, he was so close to putting Mel in a cryogenic sleep, but the freezer malfunctioned on him," commented Triple R.

"But don't expect Sean to blow his cool because of that, he'll still be looking to put Mel on ice," added Sue.

Sean dashed forward at Mel again, but the blonde warrior anticipated Sean's next move and parried Sean's strike and countered with a head butt making Sean stagger back and hold his nose in pain. During this time, Mel's body glowed red showing that he was ready to unleash his own Hyper Art.

"Shin Hado Shoryuken!" roared Mel.

Mel put his palms together and blue lightning gathered into his palms as a super powerful Hadoken formed in Mel's hands, Mel fired forth the supercharged Hadoken at Sean and ran after his projectile. The Hadoken hit Sean five times a Mel followed up with a Shoryu Reppa like his father used to do. As Sean descended to the ground, Mel decked his friend with another supercharged Hadoken, which pelted Sean five more times and sent him crashing to the ground hard. Sean got back up successfully, but upon trying to take a step, he fell back down and did not get back up after a second attempt.

"Are you serious," grumbled Sean.

"Whoa, and Sean is nothing more than a melted snowball now due to the heat he was hit with!" announced Triple R.

"What a hot match, and the winner of the fight is Mel Masters!" announced Sue.

Ken applauded thunderously for both of his students, and so did the rest of the crowd. Mel flashed the peace sign much like his father and then turned to Sean and helped him back to his feet.

"Heh, good stuff Mel, you're better than I thought," gasped Sean.

"I almost thought you had me a couple of times, I just got lucky," replied Mel.

"It was mostly skill though, I'd like to have a rematch with you someday, I think we'll both represent the style our master taught us very well from what I've seen," said Sean.

"Yeah, I think so too," responded Mel.

Mel and Sean shook hands and embraced each other in a hug as the crowd cheered loudly for the two heirs to Ansatsuken, Mel and Sean then headed back to the locker area so the other semifinal match could take place.

Author's Note: Well, are you surprised? Anyways, I hope you all liked this match between the next generation of Ansatsuken. I'm sure Ken's happy to have these two as students. So Mel is off to the tournament finals for a chance to be one to fight Zephyr. Next chapter is the match between Marcos Ortega and Brock Irvine. Which of those two will be the one to face Mel in the final round? You'll find out next chapter, but until then, please read and review.


	56. Semifinal Round, Fight Two

**Chapter 55: Semifinal Round, Fight Two**

Zephyr's Island, mid afternooon

Both Marcos Ortega and Brock Irvine had some renewed vigor inside of them knowing that the ones that they had come to save were safe and sound. Now all that remained was to down Zephyr to make sure that they remained safe.

"Well you two, I'm anxious to see which of you will get to face Mel in final round," chimed Godo.

"Yeah, I know you aren't gonna make it easy on each other, you're both strong," added Unoka.

"Either one of us can testify to what Unoka said," added Skye.

"I do look forward to Marcos's challenge, but I'm confident I'll be the one to move on from this round," commented Brock.

"Confidence is good, but don't try and predict outcomes unless you're an actual psychic," replied Marcos.

"Anyways, I think you two should get to the arena, they should be announcing you guys soon" suggested Tomoko.

"Good luck you two!" called out Xavier.

Marcos and Brock nodded and smiled at their friends and walked out towards the double doors to the arena Outside, Triple R and Sue were again center stage with microphones in hand.

"We're so close to the main event and cannot wait to feast our eyes on that. But I'm sure that this match will satiate your desires for a while," commented Triple R.

"That's right, this match will determine who will get to be one of the top two dogs to fight for the chance to sink their fangs into Zephyr," added Sue.

"First up we have Oakland's prime time punch king who like his nickname the Powerful Bull has trampled across many would be matadors, and he's looking to gore yet another unlucky sap in his path, once again, give it up for Marcos Ortega!" announced Triple R.

Marcos emerged from the double doors and walked out proudly, he saw his mother in the crowd with his girlfriend and Dudley and he raised his fist at them. Marcos wa clad in a white button down shirt with a black bowtie along with green suit pants and shiny black shoes along with his blue boxing gloves. Dudley grinned upon seeing his prodigy pay tribute to him. Marcos turned to face the double doors and waited for Brock to come out.

"And his opponent is Sydney's surfer dude of Muay Thai who's wiped out many strong contenders and he looks to take someone down into the undertow of a strong wave of power. Once again, show some love for Brock Irvine!" announced Sue.

Brock stepped out into the ring, also highly proud like Marcos, upon seeing his best friend in the crowd, Brock smiled and waved at him. Brock was clothed in blue shorts with yellow trim and a yellow stripe running down the sides of the legs. Sagat also smiled upon seeing Brock pay homage to him. Marcos and Brock took their fighting stances as Triple R and Sue got back to their announcer's table.

"Semifinal round, Fight!" announced Triple R and Sue in unison.

Marcos and Brock dashed at each other right off the bat. Brock threw out a high kick to Marcos's face, Marcos jumped back to avoid the kick and threw out a jab to Brock's ribs, Brock swatted the fist away and connected with a knee to Marcos's abdomen, Marcos staggered back as as Brock threw out another kick, Marcos tilted his head back and stuck out a hard hooking punch, connecting with Brock's outstretched leg. Brock jumped up and down holding his leg in pain. Marcos capitalized on this by running full speed at Brock.

"Flamethrower Blow!" shouted Marcos.

Marcos lit Brock ablaze wit hnumerous rapid fire blows knocking the Australian fighter to the ground. Brock rolled back to his feet however and took his fighting stance again.

"And Marcos lights the fuse that will make this match dynamite, but which fighter will be blown to bits? It's still to early to decide," commented Triple R.

Brock tried to ignore the pain coursing through his leg as he turned back to Marcos and fired forth a Tiger Shot, Marcos ducked under the projectile and ran at Brock with a Toro Charge. Brock parried the powerful punch aimed at him and grabbed Marcos and flung him over his shoulders. Marcos did his own ukemi upon hitting the ground and saw Brock run at him and stick out another kick, Marcos dodged the blow and smacked Brock with a punch to the ribs followed by another Toro Charge knocking Brock to the ground, Brock did another roll and saw Marcos leap toward him.

"Tiger Uppercut!" shouted Brock.

Brock rose up nailing Marcos on the chin with five strong punches, Marcos crashed to the ground hard, but quickly scrambled back up to his feet to fight again.

"Hmm, what's sharper, the bull's horns, or the dingo's claws?" asked Triple R.

"Don't know, but one of them will be left dull after this is all said and done," answered Sue.

"Well mate, you truly are giving me a good run, but I will be the matador to finally take you down," commented Brock.

"No way, I'll be the wave that knocks you off your surfboard gringo," replied Marcos.

"Green...go, I know green means go, so why did you call me a greeen go?" asked Brock.

"It's a Mexican word, it means white boy. Now let's get back to business!" replied Marcos.

Brock and Marcos again ccharged at each other and both threw out an attack at each other. Both strikes connected and the two staggered back from each other, Brock fired a low Tiger Shot, Marcos leapt straight up over it and rushed it and fired a hook punch at Brock's face. Brock parried the blow and retaliated with his own move.

"Kangaroo Kick!" yelled Brock.

Brock jutted both feet forward nailing Marcos across the abdomen with a poweful double legged kick. Marcos doubled over and Brock grabbed Marcos for another special attack.

"Surfboard!" shouted Borck.

Brock slammed Marcos onto the ground and then leapt onto his back pretending to ride the Mexican boxer like a surfboard and then jumped off shortly afterwards.

"Brock is looking to hang teen and to leave Marcos hung, man it's quite an exhilarating match we're seeing right here folks!" commented Triple R.

As Marcos sprang back up he saw Brock throw out a kick towards him, Marcos began weaving like a snake and then just as the kick made contact, Marcos grabbed Brock's leg and countered.

"Culebra Counter!" hollered Marcos.

Marcos darted forward with a strong straight punch nailing Brock square in the face and sending the Australian surfer crashing to the ground. Brock quickly rolled back up to his feet and rushed at Marcos with a Dingo Claw at the same time Marcos came dashing in with a Toro Charge. Both attacks connected yet again, and both warriors got sent flying back from each other and landed hard on thier backs. However, both fighters got up again at the exact same time.

"And both the bull and the dingo are still going at each other's throats, this is definitely more intense than when animals attack!" commented Sue.

Marcos and Brock again ran at each other and Brock stuck out an elbow, Marcos parried Brock's blow and countered with two body blows and chained the two punches into another of his special attacks.

"Drill Punch!" shouted Marcos.

Marcos spun forward like a drill and smacked Brock across the chest with a powerful spinning punch. Brock flew backward, but did yet another ukemi and as Marcos followed after the surfer, Brock fired a Tiger Shot again making Marcos flinch as he jumped back a bit from the ki projectile's force. Brock then glowed blue as he prepared to unleash a Super Art.

"Wild Dingo!" screamed Brock.

Eight rapid fire Dingo Claws immediately riddled Marcos, and soon afterwards Brock grabbed the Mexican boxer by his shirt and slammed him face first onto the ground yet again and rode him like a surfboard again. As Marcos got back up, Brock tried to keep him down with a kick to the face, but Marcos parried again and decked Brock's leg with another punch bringing Brock down to his knees. Marcos glowed blue and he prepared to fire off his own Super Art.

"Clock Cleaner!" bellowed Marcos.

Marcos hit Brock with an uppercut and held Brock with one hand spinning his other hand around like a clock's hand. Marcos then swung his hand low like a clock's pendulum for a couple of seconds before bringing his fist upward with blinding speed for a super powerful uppercut. Brock sailed high into the air and landed down with a loud thud.

"Brock, show him that you're a warrior, not a beginner!" called out Sagat from the stands.

Brock slowly got back up and wiped some blood from his lip, he then chuckled a bit and took his battle stance again.

"You sure don't disappoint me mate, this is probably the next best thing to riding a really good wave," remarked Brock.

"Heh, you certainly have given me some good exercise, I won't deny that, no matter what the outcome is, I'm satisfied with how I fought," replied Marcos.

Once again, Marcos and Brock rushed at each other and flurry of fists and feet began to litter the arena. Marcos was surprisingly holding out well against the Muay Thai fighter even though he was adhering to the rules of boxing by not using his legs other than to move. After a while of trading hits back and forth, Marcos eventually parried another of Brock's strikes and retaliated successfully with two quick jabs and his body once again glowed blue signifying the release of yet another Super Art.

"Corkscrew Drill!" roared Marcos.

Marcos spun forward in a drill like motion decking Brock with a supercharged Drill Punch, after being riddled with many hits, Brock sailed about ten feet away and landed on his back with a groan.

"And Marcos drills through Brock like a piece of plywood, is it over for the surfer dude?" asked Triple R.

"Not yet Rick, Brock still hasn't wiped out yet," answered Sue as Brock stood back up again.

"Ay carumba, you still get up after that, I should've expected that knowing who trained you," stated Marcos.

"Damn right mate, time to put you down for the count now!" replied Brock.

Brock leapt at Marcos who aimed to knock Brock out of the sky with a Rocket Thruster, but Brock parried Marcos's attack while still airborne and kicked Marcos in the chest and as Marcos fell back, Brock glowed blue ready to unload another Super Art into Marcos.

"Boggo Road Blast!" screamed Brock.

Marcos found himself being pelted by two Kangaroo Kicks before Brock chained those kicks into a powered up Tiger Uppercut that registered eight more hits on the Mexican boxer. As Marcos fell back to earth, Brock fired a supercharged Tiger Shot that nailed Marcos while he was still airborne. Marcos flew back ten feet groaning as he landed on the steel deck.

"Marcos, you can do it chap, don't let Brock be your matador," called out Dudley from the stands.

Marcos slowly got back to his feet and Brock groaned in disbelief aas he saw the plucky pugilist stand back up.

"Crikey, why can't you just be a good little bull and let me turn you into steak?" asked Brock.

"Because that's not how I roll ese," replied Marcos.

"Why are you calling me a term paper?" asked Brock.

"Ese means friend, now about we finish this, ok friend," sggested Marcos.

Brock nodded in agreement as him and Marcos darted full speed at each other again unloading yet another barrage of attacks onto each other. As the back and forth battle wore on, Brock nailed Marcos in the abdomen with his knee and his body glowed red as he prepared to unleash his Hyper Art.

"Wild Dingo Wipeout!" hollered Brock.

Unfortunately, as Brock rushed forward with his rapid fire Dingo Claws, Marcos rolled out of the way making Brock miss his Hyper Art, and before the Australian surfer could have a chance to recover, Marcos glowed red as he prepared to release his own Hyper Art onto a vulnerable Brock.

"Fuego Del Toro!" roared Marcos.

Marcos rushed forward with his fists glowing a reddish orange color and as Brock whirled around, Marcos pelted the surfer with a bevy of punches which enveloped Brock in flaming ki. Marcos then linked his punching barrage into a Flamethrower Blow and rose up into the air with a Shinryuken like move taking Brock upwards with him, at the apex of the attack, Marcos struck Brock with a powerful hooking punch sending the warrior sailing downwards and hitting the ground with a loud crash. Marcos soon descended landing on his feet and looking at the downed Brock.

"Crikey," grumbled Brock as he sat back up trying to move his legs, but failed and fell back down to the ground.

"Wow, and the surf king has wiped out under the pressure of a wave he couldn't handle!" announced Sue.

"He sure did Susie! So the winner of this match is Marcos Ortega!" announced Triple R.

The crowed applauded thunderously for Marcos, especially Dudley and Marcos's mother, Rosalinda and girlfriend, Crystal. Sagat and Brock's best friend, Paul, looked onwards ans smiled at Brock.

"You gave him a good fight my student and you fough with honor, you've done me proud," said Sagat.

"Good show my protege, one step closer to Zephyr," said Dudley.

After taking a minute to revel in his win, Marcos turned to Brock and lifted the defeated fighter to his feet.

"Good work mate, I got cocky in that last second," gasped Brock.

"But you still could have won it there too, maybe one day we'll get to have our rematch, just take comfort in the fact that our loved ones are safe now," responded Marcos.

"Yeah, I hope either you or Mel knock that wanker Zephyr into oblivion that way he'll pay for what he did to them," said Brock.

"You have our word amigo," stated Marcos.

"Now that's a word I know," piped Brock.

Marcos and Brock laughed a bit as they walked back to the locker area to get treated. As they disappeared from sight, Triple R and Sue took center stage again.

"Well folks, the semifinals are done, we're almost to the big brawl against the mighty Zephyr," announced Triple R.

"But who will get to face him, that's what our final match of this tournament will be for, the champ here will be the one to fight for the fate of the world," stated Sue.

"The final match will be Mel Masters versus Marcos Ortega, one of those two will be the ones to hold that fate on their shoulders," said Triple R.

"But before that match takes place, we will give those two a couple of hours to rest up and get patched up so it'll be a fair fight," added Sue.

"So get out and stretch your legs, and we'll see you in a couple of hours," called out Triple R.

As the spectators all walked out to get some fresh air, Zephyr looked down at the vacant arena and began musing malevolent thoughs to himself.

"These fighters need to learn that playing with fire will get them burned, so I'm going to be the one to burn them, this will teach those so called saviors to interfere with my grand performance that I have planned for me and for all of them," cogitated Zephyr as he stared off looking into the sky.

Author's Note: Just a little ways to go before the big fight, next chapter will be some more downtime, more little twists, and some more story development. Chapter after the next one however will be the match between Mel and Marcos to see which of those two will be the one fighting Zephyr. But until then however, please read and review.


	57. Intermission Four

**Chapter 56: Intermission Four**

Hong Kong, China, late evening

It was a quiet night in the Lee siblings home village, the chirping of crickets was highly audible. Kaoru Miadama lie quietly in her bed. She was restless and could not seem to get herself to sleep for some odd reason.

"Damn, what's this feeling inside of me that just won't let me go to sleep, I'm tired," grumbled Kaoru as she slammed her fist into her pillow.

As Kaoru looked out the window at the bright moon, she let out a deep sigh as if she were bored. Just then, a shrill scream pierced the night sky making Kaoru jump out of bed and Shaomei burst through the door in a panic.

"Kaoru come quick, some crazy lady is abduction Hoimei!" cried Shaomei.

"What, are you serious, don't these nut jobs ever learn?" groaned Kaoru as she ran out of her room and followed Shaomei to where the incident took place. Broken glass littered the floor, and Hoimei's scream was heard again. Kaoru burst out the door and saw a female looking figure dragging Hoimei away.

"Hey, stop whoever you are!" shouted Kaoru.

The young female tossed Hoimei aside and dashed toward Kaoru and threw out a swift kick, Kaoru quickly rolled out of the way to dodge the blow and then looked at Hoimei's kidnapper. She was light skinned girl with raven black hair that draped over one of her piercing blue eyes. She was wearing a black bodysuit with black glowes and black boots. She gazed coldly at Kaoru and took a combat pose.

"Illuminati agent Noir Coeur engaging opponent," said the woman in a monotone.

"Noir huh, I see you like wearing black, so I'm gonna make you black and blue then bitch!" exclaimed Kaoru as she took a fighting pose ready to defend herself against Noir who made a quick dash at the Japanese female.

"Shadow Slice!" shouted Noir.

Noir leapt forward spinning as if she were a wheel and delivered a double axe-handled chop to Kaoru and then smacked her with an upwards chop to the chin. Kaoru flew back from Noir's attack, but rolled back to her feet quickly and threw out a special attack of her own.

"Doushaburi!" yelled Kaoru.

Kaoru brought her hands close to her and formed a silver ball of ki in her hands and sent it at Noir, who reacted hastily with her own projectile.

"Dark Spark!" yelled Noir.

The Illuminati agent shot her palm forward emitting a black colored bolt shaped ki blast. The two projectiles nullified each other as Kaoru and Noir rushed at each other again.

"Yotakaken!" hollered Kaoru.

Kaoru shot up into the air with a rising uppercut move similar to the Shououken that Sakura used back when she used to fight. The uppercut nailed Noir squarely on the chin and sent the mysterious woman sailing back a few feet. Noir rolled back to her feet and saw Kaoru teleport towards her and throw out a hard punch to her face, Noir parried the strike and grabbed Kaoru's arm and Noir flung her opponent over her shoulders and Kaoru landed on her back. Kaoru sprang back up and surprised Noir with a special attack of hers.

"Hiagasen!" screamed Kaoru.

Kaoru kicked Noir hard in the chin sending the pale skinned female upwards. Shortly afterwards, Kaoru leapt up after Noir and kicked her back down to the ground, Noir did another ukemi and as Kaoru fell to the ground, Noir grabbed Kaoru by her shirt.

"Shade Shroud!" said Noir.

Noir spun Kaoru around and kneed Kaoru in the back and as Kaoru arched backwards, Noir placed her palm over the Japanee girl's face and slammed her down onto her back.

"Damn, this lady is tough, but she's from the Illuminati, so that's to be expected," thought Kaoru to herself.

As Kaoru got back up, Noir leapt backwards and her body glowed blue indicating she was about to release a Super Art.

"Darkness Bomb!" hollered Noir.

Black and purple ki formed a circle on the ground where Kaoru was standing and a black semisphere of energy enveloped the young girl pelting her with powerful ki energy. Noir then thrusted her palms forward, and the semisphere exploded and Kaoru flew backwards about eight feet and hit the ground hard.

"Kaoru!" cried out Hoimei and Shaomei.

"Obstacle taken care of. Master Zephyr will be pleased," said Noir in her monotone voice.

"Don't think so you emo wannabe," gasped Kaoru as she got up and teleported behind Noir. Before the mysterious woman could react, Kaoru laid her own Super Art into her.

"Shinbatsu!" roared Kaoru.

Kaoru grabbed Noir by the arm and pulled her close then flollowed up with a kick to the stomach then threw Noir behind her while still holding on to the pale skinned woman and then whipped her back, Kaoru then elbowed Noir making her stagger back. Kaoru then unleashed a huge barrage of powerful attacks and finished it off with a powerful ki blast sending Noir flying backwards. Noir thenn got up shortly after hitting the ground and held her body in pain.

"Mission failed, must return to headquarters, we will meet again Kaoru Miadama," said Noir in her monotone voice again and before Kaoru could chase after her Noir vanished out of sight.

"Thanks Kaoru, I don't know what that woman's deal was," said Hoimei.

"She was sent by Zephyr to cause havoc here from what I've seen," answered Kaoru.

"Well, it's good that you stayed behind to help us then," piped up Shaomei.

"Yeah, and if she does want a rematch in the future, she won't be escaping next time," replied Kaoru as she took Hoimei and Shaomei back to Yang's house.

Zephyr's Island, mid afternoon

As the fighters rested backstage waiting for the final round to begin, Quentin AKA Q decided to round up the fighters and tell them his backstory.

"So, Quentin right, what's the deal with you, why the strange getup and the secrecy?" asked Wagner.

"Well you see, I used to work for Shadaloo, as one of their many scientists, I worked closely with the monitor cyborgs they used to check out fighters that they could use to build their armies. I really hated what I was doing, but it was either work for that wretched Bison or die, so sadly it was a catch 22 situation," grumbled Quentin.

"So what did you do once Bison was destroyed?" asked Marcos.

"Although Shadaloo has fallen apart, there are still traces of it lingering about in the form of its monitor cyborgs which are usually present now at many crime scenes around the world. I took up the guise of a cyborg and I aim to destroy every remaining monitor cyborg left in the world and make Shadaloo COMPLETELY non-existant," answered Quentin.

"I understand, that organization was nothing but a blight on this world, all traces should be erased," commented Brock.

"Yes, I agree, I will do whatever I must to ensure that my mission is complete," remarked Quentin.

"Well then, we'll all be cheering for you and hope you succeed," said Vicki.

Unbeknownst to the heroes, Zephyr was watching them through some monitors in his office, upon studying the fighters, he looked over at Oblique and smirked evilly.

"Hmm, an Illuminati mutant, he should be a useful pawn in this one sided chess game," stated Zephyr as he closed his eyes and concentrated his mind on the Russian warrior.

"Ugh, argh!" growled Oblique as he felt a sharp pain in his head, he dropped to the ground and started to clutch his head in agony.

"Oblique, what's going on?" asked Skye with concern in her voice.

"Z-Z-Zephyr, he's inside...my head, get h-h-him out of...there, help m-m-me!" screamed Oblique.

"What, he's controlling your mind, don't worry man, we'll save you," said Godo.

Oblique sat up and roared loudly and all of a sudden he felt his body glowing blue.

"Clawspike Roller!" yelled Oblique.

Spikes protruded from Oblique's body as he rolled into a ball and darted at the heroes, who all barely missed getting spikes to the face. They all took a defensive pose as they saw Oblique dash towards them howling.

"Oblique, fight it, we know you can do it!" called out Unoka.

Oblique lunged at the warriors and they all jumped back to avoid the mutant's furious slashes. He continued howling and screaming as he assaulted his friends due to Zephyr's mind control on him.

"Damn it, we might have to fight him to stop his rampage," grumbled Tomoko.

Oblique rolled at the crowd again with a Mutant Ball, everyone dodged the attack yet again. Chela's body began to glow blue as she attempted to unleash a Super Art.

"Climax Beat!" yelled Chela.

Chela threw out an uppercut in an attempt to knock Oblique into the sky, but he parried her Super Art and knocked the Mexican singer away with a Mad Claw. He then leapt in to follow up with an attack, but Wilfred leapt in and his body glowed blue.

"London Silver!" shouted Wilfred.

Oblique let out a strike, Wilfred immediately countered by grabbing Oblique and knocking him away with a powered up Canterbury Blue then followed it up with his Liverpool White and then as Oblique was on the ground, Wilfred shoved his sticks into Oblique's ribs. Oblique quickly got back up though and smacked Wilfred with a combo into a Mutant Ball. Quock quickly came to his aid and nailed Oblique in the back of the head and chained into his own Super Art.

"Rekka Shin Ken!" hollered Quock.

Quock pelted the mind controlled mutant with an elongated and more powerful Rekka Ken, as Oblique flew back, he landed on his feet and glowed blue for his own attack.

"Mutant Rage!" yelled Oblique.

Before Quock could react, he was riddled with numerous strikes that ended with a powered up Mad Claw and sent crashing to the ground.

Both Unoka and Skye ran at Oblique at the same time, the two warriors both threw out punches in different areas, Oblique jumped back and then leapt forward again and did swept both warriors off of their feet. Frederick and Mitsukake then leapt into the fray, as Frederick darted forward with a Flying Thunder Kick, Oblique rolled out of the way and did his Shark Bite technique to Frederick and as Mitsukake jumped with a Shunpukyaku, Oblique tossed the Tae Kwon Do warrior into the science teacher sending them obth crashing to the ground.

"Don't worry I have you covered!" shouted Tomoko as she whipped her chain out at Oblique, effectively wrapping it around his wrist, Oblique retaliated however by glowing blue again and unleashing another Super Art.

"Muck Vomit!" growled Oblique.

Oblique retched and then puked up a green toxic substance all over Tomoko causing her to scream out in pain. Isabella ran over to Tomoko and used her Soul Energy to make the toxic muck dissipate.

"C'mon Oblique, fight the mind control, we know you can do it!" called out Mel.

"Mel, Marcos, stay back, we need you two to avoid getting hurt since the final round will be starting soon!" called out Xavier as him and Hans ran full speed at Oblique.

"Get out of m-m-my head!" screamed Oblique.

Xavier delivered a boot to Oblique's face, knocking him on the ground Hans ran in to go for an Atomic Leg Drop, but Oblique sprang back up quickly and kicked Hans away and then nailed Xavier with a Shark Bite before throwing him into Hans. As Sano dove down to attack the mutant, Oblique darted back and then grabbed Sano by the throat and slammed him down to the ground.

"I'm sorry...Sano!" said Oblique.

As Oblique prepared to drive his claws into Sano's back, Vicki tackled Oblique and prepared to nail him with a Wheel Driver, but Oblique reversed the attack and did his Mutant Rage Super Art to her. As Vicki hit the ground, Yun, Yang, and Yin all rushed in to attack. Oblique dashed back and did his Muck Vomit Super Art conpletely dousing the three with his toxic muck. Isabella and Datta rushed over to them and began using their Soul and Yoga powers to make the muck fizzle away.

"Crap, I wish I was at full strength right now so I could help them," grumbled Kiyomi.

"I know, I wish we could help too, but me and Mel can't run the risk of going into a battle with Zephyr not at a hundred percent," groaned Marcos.

"Tiger!" yelled Brock.

Oblique ducked under the Tiger Shot which nailed Pietro, who was coming at him from the other side.

"Tanden Renki!" hollered Makoto.

Makoto's body turned red and she ran at Oblique using her Hayate attack, Ibuki dove down and aimed a kunai at the mutant, Oblique rolled away from the attacks and as Makoto rushed in for an attack, Oblique pulled Ibuki into the vicinity of the attack and Makoto inadvertently decked the ninja girl. Oblique then kicked Makoto away with a hard roundhouse to the face.

"What do we have to do to stop his rampage?" asked Alex.

Just then, Godo went flying towards Alex and hit the ground hard.

"I don't know, but I hope someone finds a way," moaned Godo.

As Amy ran in with her Total Wipeout Super Art, Oblique parried the attack and nailed her with his Mutant Rage. Afterwards Oblique grabbed Amy by the throat and started choking her.

"Amy!" screamed Datta.

"Damn it Z-Z-Zephyr, get...out of my h-h-head!" screamed Oblique.

"Someone, do something quickly!" hollered Sean.

"Denjin Hadoken!" yelled Ryu.

A purple colored Hadoken with electrical ki coursing around it shot towards Oblique and nailed him numerous times, making him drop Amy and stagger about stunned. Isabella used that opportunity to detain the possessed mutant by wrapping him up in her scarf. Oblique roared in anger.

"Oh well, I've had my fun with you, like a broken toy, you are now useless," said Zephyr as he stopped controlling Oblique's mind and walked out of his office. As that happened Oblique calmed down.

"He's gone, he's no l-l-longer in...my head," gasped Oblique.

"But how could he control you like that without the mind control chip implanted in you?" asked Pietro.

"I do have one, an early v-v-version however, all Illuminati...mutants have th-th-these inside of them," said Oblique.

"He's right, since it was an early version however, it malfunctioned which caused him to go renegade and escape from the Illuminati, by now they must have got all the bugs out of it," added Datta.

"How were you able to figure all that out?" inquired Frederick.

"I can read minds, remember," answered Datta.

"Oh, so Zephyr must have found a way to trigger the malfunctioning probe allowing him to control Oblique's mind," stated Wagner.

"Precisely, indeed Zephyr has very fearsome power," answered Datta in a grim tone.

"From what we gathered from his Z File, that mind control probe plays a heavy part in his Z Project," stated Vicki.

"Yeah, in order to help him acheive our species extinction, he plans to gather powerful fighters and inject those probes into their minds and form an army to eradicate mankind. And when they are done serving their purpose, he's gonna destroy his own mind controlled zombie army," added Wagner.

"So what you're saying is he brought us all here to make us is slaves," piped up Tomoko.

"That's what I'm saying, make us work for him, then dipose of us once we've outlived our usefulness to him," reaffirmed Wagner.

"We can't let that happen, we have to hope we can triumph over him," said Mel.

"We can, but hopefully Gill can help us in our cause, if he can find out how to strip Zephyr's powers from him, we will stand a better chance," said Marcos.

"It's almost time for your match you two, you better get warmed up," suggested Ryu.

Mel and Marcos nodded and headed off to get prepared for the final round of the tournament, knowing that the heavy burden of protecting their planet was going to lie on the shoulders of the winner of that match.

Author's Note: For a downtime chapter that was pretty action packed huh? We found out some creepy new information, we know Q's backstory, and we meet a new OC of mine. Speaking of Noir, she's going to play a big role in the sequel to this fic, yes, this will be a trilogy for those that don't know. Anyways, next chapter is the final round, Mel Masters versus Marcos Ortega, we'll finally get to see who fights Zephyr. But until next chapter, please read and review.


	58. Final Round

**Chapter 57: Final Round**

Zephyr's Island, late afternoon

The atmosphere in the locker area was thick with tension for Mel Masters and Marcos Ortega. After witnessing what Zephyr did to Oblique, they knew that no matter who came out of this match the victor, it was going to be an extremely difficult battle to topple Zephyr.

"Marcos, I just want you know one thing before we go out there," stated Mel.

"And what might that be?" asked Marcos.

"No matter who wins here, I'm glad to say I made it this far and that I had the opportunity to fight for the right thing," answered Mel.

"I couldn't agree with you more man, I feel the exact same way," affirmed Marcos.

As they looked behind them, they saw all their friends giving them nods of encouragement, the two warriors then turned to the double doors waiting to be announced out into the ring where Triple R and Sue were currently standing.

"Here we are folks, thirty two fighters have entered this tournament, now only two remain, but only one will be able to go on and take on Zephyr," commented Triple R.

"That's right, we finally have reached the final round of the tournament, and these two warriors are looking to send this tournament out with a bang," added Sue.

"Our first finalist is a young one who has toppled his opponents skillfully and has shown himself to be a worthy successor to the Ansatsuken style. So once more, give your support for Mel Masters!" announced Triple R.

Mel burst forth from the double doors as all the spectators applauded for him, Mel basked in the energy he felt exuding from all the people who had their eyes fixated on him. Mel was clothed the outfit he was wearing in the first round, his black shirt with the red jacket, the black jeans, and black sneakers. Mel turned to face the doors and wait for Marcos.

"And our second finalist resides on the other side of California's Bay Bridge. He's a powerful pugilist who has punched out many a formidable foe to get this far. He has the potential to pull through with the championship here. So one more time, give your love to Marcos Ortega!" announced Sue.

Marcos stepped out and the same thunderous ovation Mel received washed over Marcos. The boxer walked out with a confident smirk on his face Marcos came out clad in his first round garb as well, his blue denim jacket, baggy blue jeans, and his black sneakers. Marcos took his battle stance. Mel responded by taking his and Triple R and Sue returned to the announcer's table to commentate the brawl.

"Final Round, Fight!" announced Triple R and Sue in unison.

Marcos and Mel slowly strafed around each other, gazes staying fixed on each other, they knew that they couldn't afford to make stupid mistakes. Slowly the two inched forward, still waiting to see who would make the first move. Mel threw out a high kick at the same time Marcos aimed his fist at Mel's face, both strikes connected with their targets and the two staggered back from each other. Mel and Marcos recovered quickly and rushed towards one another again, Mel aimed a hooking punch at Marcos' face, Marcos parried the blow and threw out a body blow, Mel parried the strike and grabbed Marcos by his jacket and started to knee him in the stomach. Soon Mel kneed Marcos down to the ground, but the boxer rolled back to his feet and as Mel threw out a sweep to keep Marcos down, the Mexican boxer leapt up and nailed Mel in the stomach with a sharp body blow and then grabbed Mel and chucked him to the ground.

"And these two are really throwing everything they have at each other, they really want Zephyr badly don't they," commented Triple R.

"Well after all the crap he's put these poor fighters through, can you blame them," stated Sue.

Marcos rushed at Mel with a Toro Charge but due to some quick thinking, Mel was able to find the answer to counter Marcos' furious attack.

"Hadoken!" yelled Mel.

The blue ball of ki hurtled forth and struck Marcos square in the chest making him reel back, as Mel leapt in for a combo, Marcos got ready to retaliate with an attack of his own.

"Rocket Thruster!" shouted Marcos.

Marcos flew upward with his boxing glove ablaze, and lit Mel on fire and sent the Ansatsuken fighter crashing to the ground, the flames fizzled as Mel made contact with the canvas. Mel quickly sprang back up and saw Marcos anticipating his next move.

"You know I'm gonna win this, remember that I saved your ass back there with those thugs," stated Mel.

"Yeah, but I've changed a lot since then, so don't assume you have the victory automatically, if you want it, you're gonna have to fight for it," replied Marcos.

Mel and Marcos darted at each other again, Marcos aimed a hooking right at Mel's sternum, Mel dashed back to avoid the strike, and then aimed a sweep at the boxer's feet, Marcos leapt straight up to dodge Mel's foot and then sped forward with his fists glowing a reddish orange.

"Flamethrower Blow!" screamed Marcos.

Marcos riddled Mel with numerous fiery punches and sent Mel crashing back to the ground, but Mel did another ukemi after the flames fizzled out and saw Marcos rushe forward for a Toro Charge, Mel parried the special attack and retaliated with his own.

"Shoryuken!" shouted Mel.

Mel rose upward with his fist aflame, Marcos was decked with three hits lighting him ablaze, Marcos sailed back about eight feet, recovering quickly with his own ukemi and darted at Mel, faking a Toro Charge, Mel prepared to counter, but was thrown off by Marcos' fake out and saw the boxer glow blue ready to unleash a Super Art.

"Corkscrew Drill!" hollered Marcos.

Marcos spun forward with a powered up Drill Punch and nailed Mel with a direct hit, the force of the Super Art sent Mel flying and landing hard on his back.

"Whoa, Marcos brings out the heavy stuff uite early in this match, he's going for a quick KO right there!" commented Triple R.

Mel slowly got up and shook his head to regain his composure, and then he spun at Marcos with a Tornado, Marcos threw out a jab, Mel parried and did a short hopping punch to Marcos' chest and unloaded his own Super Art.

"Hyper Tornado!" bellowed Mel.

Mel rammed his shoulders into Marcos and pelted him with a series of punches and kicks and flew upward with a Tornado before kicking Marcos down to the ground with a powered up Ryubi Kyaku. Marcos his the ground with a thud, but was back up again in no time ready to fight some more.

"And Mel answers with his own heavy artillery. They really want Zephyr badly, and they're really giving us a supercharged final round," commented Sue.

"Trying to grab this bull by the horns will only get you gored!" taunted Marcos.

"Yeah right, the ancient art of Ansatsuken won't be trumped that easily," retorted Mel.

Marcos chuckled and ran at Mel and stopped abruptly and began his snake like weaving right as Mel attempted a Springboard 1080. Marcos snuffed out Mel's maneuver with his Culebra Counter. Mel fell to the ground but rolled back to his feet again and leapt up into the air.

"Jackknife Drop!" shouted Mel.

Mel dove down and nailed Mel with a hard kick across the head and did a quick combo into a Shoryuken. Marcos crashed to the ground but did another ukemi and saw Mel throw a Hadoken at him. Marcos parried the energy ball and spun forward with a Drill Punch, Mel parried Marcos' fist and tried to grab Marcos for a throw, but the boxer reversed the throw attempt and nailed Mel with a Toro Charge.

"This has so many different kinds of awesomness in it, the only thing that would make this better would be a fine naked Japanese girl feeding me grapes," commented Triple R.

"Better for you, but worse for me," grumbled Sue.

As Mel got back up, Marcos rushed in for a Flamethrower Blow, Mel rolled away from the attack and decked Marcos with a Tornado, Marcos responded with a Rocket Thruster lighting Mel on fire yet again.

"Wow, he's keeping me on my toes, I don't know what I have to do to pull off the upset," grumbled Mel to himself.

"He's tough, but I knew that from when I first met him, what do I gotta do to one up him?" mused Marcos.

"I say Ken, your son and my student are really giving quite a show, you trained them both well," stated Dudley.

"Thanks, you should be proud of both of them Duds, I know I am," replied Ken.

Mel fired off a Hadoken as he got up, however Marcos sidestepped the projectile and darted at Mel with a Flamethrower Blow, Mel back flipped to avoid the strikes and flew towards Marcos with a Tornado, Marcos parried all the hits and responded by glowing blue signaling another Super Art.

"Toro Loco!" hollered Marcos.

Marcos ran at Mel and started riddling him with a torrent of Toro Charges and Flamethrower Blows, he then put the coup de grace on the Super Art with an EX Rocket Thruster, Mel hit the ground hard, but did an ukemi to help him recover faster. Marcos leapt in with a powerful fierce, but Mel struck back with his own Super Art.

"Shinryuken!" screamed Mel.

Emulating his father, Mel spiraled upward wit ha powerful uppercut maneuver nailing Marcos with eighteen powerful punches, Marcos landed with a resounding thud, but also did an ukemi to right himself in a hasty manner.

"Incredible, both Mel and Marcos are making my millenium with this magnificent match," commented Triple R.

"So, what about the..." began Sue.

"Yes, the naked Japanese girl feeding me grapes would still be the only thing that makes this match better," said Triple R.

As Mel and Marcos continued to duel against one another, the other fighters were all peeking out from the double doors watching the final match with full focus.

"So guys, who do you think is gonna win this?" asked Chela

"Mel no doubt, after how badly he handed my ass to me, I'd say he'll come out victorious," answered Godo.

"I don't know about that mate, Marcos is one tough fellow, I say he'll outlast Mel and come out on top," replied Brock.

"Yeah, I know how you feel about Marcos, but still I'd say it's too early to tell," said Unoka.

"I'm enjoying this match no matter who wins and who loses," stated Tomoko.

"Me too, I just want the winner to give Zephyr his dues," added Xavier.

The others nodded in agreement and continued to watch the fight as Mel and Marcos looked at each other, blood and sweat running down their foreheads, they both smiled at each other and took their battle stances yet again.

"I'm going to put you down for the count right here!" taunted Marcos.

"Yeah right, you'll be the one down for the ten count!" replied Mel in a cocky tone.

Both Mel and Marcos began to glow red signaling that they were aiming to finish the match with their Hyper Arts, all eyes were fixated on them as the two charged up the biggest weapons in their arsenal.

"Fuego Del Toro!" roared Marcos.

Marcos rushed forward with blinding speed towards Mel, his fists glowing a bright reddish orange color, right as Marcos got up close to Mel, Mel unleashed his Hyper Art as well.

"Shin Hado Shoryuken!" bellowed Mel.

Both Hyper Arts connected at the exact same time, knocking the two warriors out of their attacks and sending them sailing apart from each other and hitting the ground in unison. Everyone gasped in awe upon hearing the dual thuds. They all gasped yet again as both Mel and Marcos slowly rose to their feet.

"Wanna try that again?" asked Mel.

"Damn right I do!" responded Marcos.

But as Mel and Marcos charged up for another Hyper Art, both fell to the ground again at the exact same time and after trying to rise again, failed. All the spectators were silent. Finally, Triple R was the one to break the silence.

"Oh my God, it's a Double KO, both Mel and Marcos are unable to continue the match!" announced Triple R.

"So you all know what that means, it's all gonna come down to a judges decision," announced Sue.

Some of the fighters walked out to help Mel and Marcos up as the three judges walked out to the ring with their signs in hand. Everyone fixated their gazes on the judges as they reviewed their notes on the fight.

"Time to see who the judges will declare the winer," said Triple R.

The first judge held up a sign with Marcos' name on it, the second one held up a sign with Mel's name on it.

"It's tied up, it all comes down to who judge nnumber three chooses," commented Sue.

After about a minute of deliberation, judge three finally held up his sign, and the sign he held up had Marcos' name on it.

"Aw man, this bites," grumbled Mel.

"Whoa, what a great match, and the winner by a judges decision and the winner of this Street Fighter tournament is Marcos Ortega!" announced Triple R.

Marcos raised his fist up in triumph as the entire crowd applauded for him, and for all the fighters that had participated in the tournament.

"Hey man, good show, I'm a little bummed I lost, but hey, at least it was close," gasped Mel.

"Yeah, I am too, but it's not over yet," replied Marcos.

"I know, Zephyr awaits now," said Mel.

"True, but I'll be sure to make sure he pays for all the wrongdoings that he commited," stated Marcos.

The two warriors shook hands as a show of respect as the audience continued to applaud.

"As the winner of the tournament, Marcos will be the one fo face off against Zephyr, good luck to Marcos," announced Sue.

Zephyr then teleported down to the ring and stared at Marcos with a steely gaze, Marcos shot the same stare back at the malevolent deity.

"I want to face you at full strength, so I will allow you tonight to rest, our battle will ensue tomorrow at noon, I will be waiting for you here," boomed Zephyr.

Marcos nodded to show he understood and agreed with what Zephyr said, but said nothing himself.

"Well you heard it here folks, tomorrow at noon, Marcos Ortega vs Zephyr, a battle for the ages, but until then, good night ladies and gentlemen!" announced Triple R.

With that, everyone departed the arena wit hthe exception of Zephyr, as everyone was out of earshot, Zephyr laughed to himself.

"Tomorrow, you and all your friends will become my pawns and assist me in eradicating your own kind, and then after I'm through with you all, I shall discard of you like garbage, there is no escape from that fate," boomed Zephyr in an ominous tone and then he vacated the arena heading off to do whatever he felt like.

Author's Note: Well, Marcos has won the tournament and is going to be the one to fight Zephyr for the fate of mankind. Quite a burden for the boxer huh? Anyways, next chapter will be the final downtime chapter, and then after that begins the final battle with Zephyr. Who knows what kind of twists we'll see happen then, only I know and I'm off to go plan all that out now. So until then, please read and review.


	59. Final Intermission

**Chapter 58: Final Intermission**

Zephyr's Island, mid evening

The atmosphere that washed over the hotel that nigth was a bittersweet one. Everyone was overjoyed at Marcos for winning the tournament and that those that were captured were saved from imprisonment, but still knowing that Zephyr was standing in the way of their adventure coming to a happy end hung in every fighter's mind.

"Ah, just one more day and we can all go home and see all our family and friends again,' chimed Chela.

"Well, that all depends on whether Marcos beats Zephyr or not, we can only hope for the best," stated Quock.

"Still, we should have faith that he will win, let's be optimistic about this," suggested Frederick.

"I agree, this is possibly our last night all together, let's enjoy it," added Skye.

"Yeah, I know one thing, I'm glad I met you all, you're all great friends and I would gladly do anything for any of you," commented Alex.

"Me too, I have all of your backs," added Marcos.

Everyone nodded in agreement that they would all look out for each other no matter what and all walked off to enjoy the night knowing that come the following day there would be no relaxation until Zephyr was downed. At the bar in the hotel, Wilfred, Mitsukake, Pietro, and Hans were all drinking a pitcher to help them pass the night.

"I tell you chaps, there aint nothing better than a nice pint to help you relax at night," commented Wilfred.

"Yup, especially after winning big after an intense game," remarked Pietro.

"But it means a lot more training to avoid getting a beer gut," said Hans.

"That's true, but I might as well enjoy the metabolism while I got it eh," replied Pietro.

"Yeah, you should, man you're all great drinking buddies, hopefully one day I'll be able to drink with you all again," piped up Mitsukake.

The four men all toasted to what Mitsukake said and downed their glasses in unison. Elsewhere, Unoka, Quock, Chela, Skye, and Brock were watching a movie in Brock's hotel room.

"Man Quock, this is definitely one of your best films ever!" exclaimed Chela.

"Yeah, I feel that way too, the actors I worked with were real skilled fighters in this one," replied Quock.

"I can see it, their form is great and they pull off all their moves fluidly, they're well trained," remarked Unoka.

"I'd like to do something like that, but I'm not much of an actor," stated Brock.

"We all have things we're good at, and things we're bad at, nothing to be ashamed of, that what makes you unique," stated Skye.

"That's true, that's also what makes fighting all of you fun, since I never know what to expect from any of you," remarked Brock.

"Yeah, but here comes the good part, we gotta watch this," gasped Unoka.

As the four friends all sat and watched the movie, Vicki and Wagner were in Wagner's room reading the Z File papers.

"It's scary knowing the advanced technology the Illuminati has, with all this I'm surprised Gill never tried any take over the world scheme," commented Vicki.

"I think he'd rather see the world in balance rather than try to control it, Urien on the other hand, would use it for more malevolent purposes so I'm glad that Gill normally controls all operations," replied Wagner.

"Yes, and we know Zephyr will definitely abuse the Illuminati's resources to attain his dark goals, sadly our fate rests all on Marcos, I'm pulling for him," stated Vicki.

"Me too, but I'm confident after seeing him fight that he can lead us out of this potential dark time, plus I'm confident that Gill will find a way to strip Zephyr of his powers like he intended to, remarked Wagner.

"I hope all is going well with that right now. But I think that we should relax, I'm going to bed, what are your plans Sergeant Wagner?" asked Vicki.

"I don't know, maybe I'll go grab a bite to eat before I turn in, have a good rest Agent Small," answered Wagner.

Vicki nodded to affirm that she understood what Wagner said and retired to her room. At that time, Amy and Datta were out in the halls walking and talking about their plans when they were to head back home.

"So Datta, what do you aim to do once this is all said and done and we're all back home?" asked Amy.

"There's still much work for me to do in India to help all those that are impoverished get whatever they may need, I want to help out those people," answered Datta.

"Oh, that's nice, I'd like to do something like that too, do you mind if I help you and your dad?" asked Amy.

"Not at all, I'd love to have you join us, because..." started Datta.

"Because what Datta, what are trying to say to me?" inquired Amy. Datta stammered a bit as he wiped some sweat from his forehead, but he took a deep breath and eventually calmed down.

"I love you Amy, I have for a very long time," stated Datta. Amy smiled brightly at the Indian man and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"I love you too Datta," replied Amy as she drew Datta in for a nice long kiss out in the hallway. In Oblique's hotel room, the Russian mutant sat near the window looking down on the lush island as the moonlight glowed over the sands and the trees surrounding the stadium. Quentin stood with his friend and gazed out the window with him.

"I find it st-st-strange that a place this...serene could cause this much h-h-hell for all of us. I hate...Z-Z-Zephyr for all that has gone wrong here," rasped Oblique.

"Worry not my friend, soon you'll be able to break free of the shackles that the Illuminati has still bound to you, for I am sure that Gill will greatfully allow you to become human again," said Quentin.

"I am aware, but...that time cannot come s-s-soon...enough," stammered Oblique.

"Ah time, it's something we both lost due to our misfortunes, but depending on how we use our remaining time on this planet, we can make up for that lost time no sweat, that's would I should believe going forward," commented Quentin.

"You know wh-wh-what, I shall...believe that t-t-too," piped Oblique as him and Quentin continued looking out the window while carrying on their conversation. In Yang's room, Yun, Yang, and Yin were on the phone with Kaoru again and had just heard about Noir's attack on their village, all three fighters huddled concerned for their home's well being.

"Are you sure you're not hurt seriously? What about Hoimei and Shaomei?" asked Yun.

"Everyone's fine thankfully, I was lucky I was able to catch Noir before anything worse happened," answered Kaoru.

"You sure are, I might have guessed that Zephyr would try something funny by sending one of his mind controlled agents to attack random cities," stated Yang.

"Yeah, but according to Noir, she did say we will meet again," spoke Kaoru.

"Well it seems you got a new adversary, and so do we," said Yin.

"We do, and if she does show her face again, she'll regret ever crossing my path or yours," responded Kaoru.

"No lie about that," replied all three Lees in unison. Meanwhile, in Ibuki's dorm, the young ninja girl had finished taking a shower as she wrapped her towel around her body, a knock on her door was heard, Ibuki carefully walked over to the door and slowly opened it, revealing Sean in the hallway.

"You wanted to see me Ibuki?" asked Sean.

"Yeah I did, come right on in," answered Ibuki as she sat on her bed, she patted a spot next to her for Sean to sit on, he promptly responded by sitting down next to Ibuki.

"Sean, you know I've been cheering you on throughout this tournament," said Ibuki.

"I've cheered you on too, I've supported everyone that's fought inthis tournament, and tomorrow I'll support Marcos knowing that he'll need all the support he can get for his battle with Zephyr," replied Sean.

"I'm with you there, but I want you to remain with me tonight," stated Ibuki.

"Indeed I will, this may be our last night together so of course I'll stay with you tonight," affirmed Sean.

Ibuki pulled her towel loose and let it fall to the ground, fully exposing herself to Sean who was blushing beyond belief upon seeing Ibuki completely exposed to him.

"Well then, let's make it a night to remember," suggested Ibuki.

"You got it baby!" exclaimed Sean as he wasted no time in going for the female ninja's offer. In the meantime, Xavier, Alex, Frederick, and Sano were all working out at the hotel's gym.

"Man, I can't wait to get back into the ring, all this training for this tournament has put me in way better shape, so I'm ready to go body slam someone at this moment," announced Xavier.

"Well, keep that urge in check until you actually wrestle again, I don't really feel like getting a body slam at this moment," replied Frederick.

"Although I'm sure you'll be slamming your girlfriend upon going home," joked Sano.

"HAHAHAHA! Yeah, you got that right," responded Frederick.

"I do look forward to seeing my family again as well, and I'm glad that I'll be able to continue to provide for them again after this tournament is all said and done," stated Xavier.

"It's always good to have someone to motivate you to fight, it makes strive a lot more to get better," spoke Alex.

"Who motivates you to get better?" asked Sano.

"A lot of people, my mentor Tom and his daughter Pat, and all the fighters I've faced in the past, particularly Ryu," answered Alex.

"That's good that all your challenges push you to move forward and improve yourself, I wish more people were like that," remarked Xavier.

"I'd have to agree with you wholeheartedly," added Frederick.

The four men continued to do various workouts to keep themselves in shape, in that gym's sauna, Makoto and Isabella relaxed, allowing the steamy heat to make them sweat.

"So Isabella, once Zephyr's gone, what do you plan to do?" asked Makoto.

"Well unless more evil arises after this, I think I'm gonna settle down and marry my fiance, have some kids before I get too old," answered Isabella.

"I'll probably continue to train students at my dojo, I haven't found anyone I want to make babies with yet," replied Makoto.

"I'm sure you will soon, fate has a weird way of hitting you with things you would not expect," responded Isabella.

"Maybe, maybe not, but I'll take whatever it decides to give me," said Makoto.

"I'm glad to hear that you're willing to accept destiny, that's a true sign of mental and spiritual clarity, two very important qualities to being a great fighter," complimented Isabella.

"Thank you, and I hope your destiny is a great one as well too Isabella," replied Makoto as her and Isabella continued to relax in the sauna. In Kiyomi's hotel room, Mel stayed with his girlfriend as she rested on her bed.

"Mel, thanks for staying with me tonight," said Kiyomi.

"No problem, I want to protect you, and I want to make sure Zephyr doesn't try to perform that mind control experiment on you again," responded Mel.

"We have to make sure he doesn't do that to any of us, we're the only ones standing in the way of Zephyr's maniacal plans," stated Kiyomi.

"Indeed, my prayers are with Marcos as well, but like I said during our date before the tournament, let's just enjoy our time together," commented Mel.

"You're right, I'm just happy to be in your company," cooed Kiyomi.

"So am I, I love you Kiyomi," said Mel.

"I love you too Mel," responded Kiyomi as her and Mel shared a kiss and Mel continued to tend to Kiyomi's needs allowing her to rest. Outside at the hotel's pool, Tomoko walked outside in her robe intending to go for a swim. Although she did not pack a swimsuit with her, she felt with everyone else inside, it was safe to go for a relaxing swim. Tomoko untied her robe and allowed it to fall to the ground. A breeze blew past her naked body as she looked the water for a moment before diving in. Tomoko proceeded to swim around in the heated pool, allowing her to feel at ease.

"Ah, this is wonderful, if I can't ride my bike to relax, a swim will always make a great substitute," said Tomoko to herself as she continued to swim around letting herself slip off into her own little world. Unbeknownst to her, Marcos and Godo started to walk by talking to each other, upon spotting Tomoko, they walked over to her.

"Hey Tomoko, how ya doing," asked Godo.

Tomoko gasped as she heard Godo's voice, she whirled around to see him and Marcos waving at her, she nervously waved back.

"I'm doing fine. How long have you been out here?" asked Tomoko.

"Oh, we just got out here. Me and Godo were just talking about how good it'll feel to go home we saw you from a distance in the pool and decided to come talk to you," answered Marcos.

"Well that's nice," said Tomoko.

"How about you, you reeling anxious to get back home?" asked Marcos.

"Yeah, she wants to get back to riding her bike around the streets of Tokyo," remarked Godo.

"I do, but I also want to do something good for the Tokyo community as well, although I'm not sure what I'll do in order to accomplish that," replied Tomoko.

"You'll find something, I'm sure of it, me and Godo are definitely gonna root for you," commented Marcos.

"Hey, why not come sit down and talk with us, you must be tired just floating there," suggested Godo.

"Not really, I'm fine right here," responded Tomoko.

"What's the matter, got a cramp, don't worry, I'll help you out," said Godo.

"No, wait..."started Tomoko, but before she could finish her sentence, Godo pulled her out of the pool. Marcos and Godo's eyes bulged wide upon realizing that Tomoko was naked right in front of them.

"Ooh, sorry about that Tomoko," piped up Marcos.

"Uh, I'm gonna go call my girlfriend right now," stammered Godo as he ran inside the hotel with blinding speed.

"Don't worry Marcos, you can look, you just can't touch since you have someone already," teased Tomoko.

"Yeah, that's right, but I do like what I see," replied Marcos. Tomoko blushed at Marcos' compliment towards her.

"Thank you, but anyways, I'm gonna turn in for the night, I'll be cheering for you along with the others tomorrow," stated Tomoko as he put her robe back on and started to walk back to her room.

"Good night!" called out Marcos. Tomoko waved back to him as she headed back inside the hotel. Marcos looked up at the moon in the sky and took a deep sigh.

"They're all counting on you. You need to show them that you have all the tools necessary to save them from doom. No, scratch that, you not only need to show them, but you need to put them to use. But you can do it, just keep that in your mind," mused Marcos to himself as he decided to retire to his room as well. On the hotel's rooftop, Ryu was meditating, the Ansatusken and Senjutu fighter overlooked the island he was on as he felt the wind nip at him.

"The confrontation that determines all our fates looms forward. Although I am certain that we can avert our extinction, I get this strange feeling in my soul that something terrible will happen. Although I cannot say what it may be," said Ryu to himself.

As Ryu took another look down at the hotel grounds, he sighed again and tightened his headband.

"Ah well, I guess I should go turn in for the night for a tired warrior is an ineffective one," said Ryu as he decided to retire to his hotel room.

Illuminati headquarters, late evening

"Tomorrow begins the fall of the human era. The folly known as mankind shall soon be erased from this planet, doomed to be nothing more than a painful memory in my mind. Marcos may think he can break down this wall, but he is sorely mistaken, and he along with all those others will pay for their mistakes with their souls!" announced Zephyr to himself as he looked at the island with a sinister smirk on his face. Upon hearing their father's manaiacal laughter, Gill and Urien continued to work on finding a method to remove Zephyr's powers from his body.

"We need to get a finished product out there fast brother," stated Urien.

"I am aware of that and so I deal with this with great urgency, those fighters need us, I will not fail them," remarked Gill as he continued to work with high dillegency.

Author's Note: Well, we're almost there. Next chapter will begin the two chapter long final battle between Marcos and Zephyr. Expect the unexpected for those of you that have been reading this know I love to surprise people. So I'm off to work on this massive fight. But until then, please read and review.


	60. Battle With Zephyr Part 1

**Chapter 59: Battle With Zephyr Part 1**

Zephyr's Island, early afternoon

The air around the arena was thick with tension, for the fate of mankind would be decided today as one man was to take a stand against a dark deity and hopefully keep his kind from suffering the faate of extinction. Thirty two warriors all fought for this chance, now only one remained. In the locker area, that one man, Marcos Ortega was sitting on a bench tightening the blue boxing gloves that Dudley had bestowed upon him. His friends all gathere around him in order to support him for they all knew that the weight of the world was on his shoulders.

"Marcos, you are aware of what's on the line today, aren't you?" inquired Wagner.

"Yeah, it's up to me to determine whether or not we all have a future," answered Marcos in a blunt tone.

"You have an aura strong enough to withstand whatever Zephyr can throw at you, I know that you can beat him," said Isabella.

"Isabella is right, you do have all the tools necessary forvictory, now is the time to put them all to use in order to make sure that you can claim that win," added Ryu.

"Mark my words, I will make Zephyr pay his dues, no longer will he be able to freely walk over everyone as if they're nothing but dirt! Today is the day he gets his comeuppance!" exclaimed Marcos.

"Well then, go get him tiger," said Tomoko.

All the fighters gave Marcos words or gestures of encouragement to psyche him up. In the meantime, Triple R and Sue were once again in the middle of the arena ready to announce the big one.

"Here we are folks, it's the battle to end all battles, but hopefully not the battle to end all our lives," commented Triple R.

"I have to agree with you there Rick, I also hope this won't be the last fight we ever commentate on. But anyways, let's bring out both warriors." piped up Sue.

"First up is the newly crowned champion of this Street Fighter tournament, he's clawed and punched his way through all his opponents and his mighty fists hold everyone's fate today, let's give all our love to the champion, Marcos Ortega!" announced Triple R.

Marcos walked confidently out of the double doors. His dark brown eyes fixated on the arena that surrounded him. Marcos stood the ring clad in the outfit he wore during the semifinal round, his white button down shirt with green pants and black shoes similar to Dudley's. The crowd roared wild giving Marcos all their energy. The young boxer took his battle stance and waited for Zephyr to show up.

"And his opponent is..." started Sue.

"I'll introduce myself thank you very much!" boomed Zephyr's voice from out of nowhere abruptly cutting off Sue.

"How rude," grumbled Sue under her breath.

At that moment, a bright flash of light appeared in the center of the arena, and materialized into Zephyr. The tall silver haired deity gazed down at Marcos with a intimidating gaze, he was clad in a white toga and light brown sandals.

"I am Zephyr, I am the final chapter on the pitiful book of human life, I will be the pen that writes all of your fates and shall decide how gruesome all of your deaths shall be. Say your prayers now, because the worms are going to get plenty of food to last them many years!" boomed Zephyr is a ominous tone.

After Zephyr finished his speil, he ripped off his toga and removed his sandals as well, leaving only a pair of white gym shorts on. He shot a gaze at Triple R and Sue who gulped and shuddered from being in Zephyr's prescence and ran to their announcer's table as Zephyr took his battle pose against Marcos.

"Final Round, Fight!" announced Triple R and Sue in unison.

"You know, I'm absolutely certain that I'm going to win this match. But if you can knock me off of my feet and land on my back, I shall declare you the winner, but I know you won't be able to do that," taunted Zephyr.

"You're on, I'll make that deal come back to haunt you," replied Marcos.

Zephyr ran full speed at marcos who took a defensive stance, Zephyr threw out a blinding fast kick to Marcos' face and hit cleanly knocking the boxer back, Zephyr then dashed forward following up his kick with a clothesline knocking Marcos to the ground with a loud thud. Marcos groaned a bit as he saw Zephyr lower his foot down for a stomp, but Marcos rolled out of the way in time to avoid the attack. Marcos soon sprang back to his feet and rushed forward with a Toro Charge, Zephyr parried the punch effortlessly and riddled Marcos with a flurry of punches and then grabbed the boxer by his shirt and chucked him away.

"Oh my, Zephyr proves that indeed he will be a tough one to even knock down for two seconds as Marcos can't even seem to get a hit in," commented triple R.

"I fear the reaper Rick, right now I fear Zephyr may be our reaper," added Sue.

Marcos did an ukemi to roll to his feet. He saw Zephyr thrust his fist forward pointed in the direction of him.

"Dark Kinesis!" yelled Zephyr.

A black and purple orb of ki hurtled towards Marcos who quickly dove out of the way to avoid the strong projectile. Zephyr then ran at Marcos again and threw out an elbow which Marcos parried and he then retaliated with a quick right hook to Zephyr's face, which much to Zephyr's surprise made direct contact. The deity staggered back in surprise upon being struck.

"I commend you for being able to strike me, but you're still fighting a losing battle," remarked Zephyr.

"You're delusional if you think I'm just gonna roll over and play dead like I'm some type of lapdog, there's no way I'm giving up that easy!" retorted Marcos.

"I guess you want to make death difficult on yourself," said Zephyr

Marcos advanced on Zephyr who fired out a Dark Kinesis again, Marcos sidestepped the orb and retaliated with his own attack.

"Flamethrower Blow!" shouted Marcos.

Marcos' gloves glowed a reddish orange color as he darted at Zephyr and unleashed a flurry of furious fiery punches. Much to everyone's shock, Zephyr parried every single one of the punches and elbowed Marcos in the chin sending him skyward.

"Deity Headbutt!" shouted Zephyr.

Zephyr leapt into the air and nailed Marcos with his powerful head, upon landing on the ground, Zephyr juggled Marcos with another Deity Headbutt. Marcos landed hard on his back again, but he also quickly rolled back to his feet again to fight some more.

"That's it Marcos, never give up hope, you can win this!" cheered Dudley.

Zephyr teleported again, Marcos anticipated where Zephyr would show, upon feeling a breeze behind him, Marcos whirled around and pegged Zephyr with a quick barrage of punches and followed the combo into a Super Art.

"Corkscrew Drill!" shouted Marcos.

Marcos spun forward with raw power decking the deity with a powerful multi hit Drill Punch. Zephyr flew back and Marcos' eyes grew wide hoping Zephyr would land on his back. Much to his dismay, Zephyr recovered in the air and landed on his feet laughing.

"Ay mierda, he didn't go down," groaned Marcos.

"You still want to talk big?" inquired Zephyr in a condescending tone as Marcos leapt at him sticking out a hard punch.

"Light Kinesis!" yelled Zephyr.

A bright white and yellow orb shot upwards in a diagonal path nailing Marcos while he was still airborne, Marcos crashed to the floor again, but hastily scrambled back to his feet to get back to fighting again. Zephyr teleported again, this time directly in front of Marcos, the boxer retaliated with a jab, Zephyr cocked his head back to avoid the punch and whacked Marcos directly in the stomach with his knee. Marcos doubled over gasping for air, Zephyr then did a sweep, which enveloped Marcos in shadowy ki as he flew back. The shadows dissipated as Marcos hit the ground, he groaned a bit as he stood up and wiped away the blood that was dripping from his mouth.

"Dios mio, Marcos is bleeding already!" gasped Rosalinda.

"This isn't looking good, that Zephyr is freakishly strong," commented Crystal.

"Now ladies, don't throw in the towel yet, try to keep optimistic, Marcos needs to know we all believe in him," responded Dudley

Marcos' mother and girlfriend nodded to affirm what Dudley said as they all continued to watch the fight. Zephyr ran towards Marcos unleashing a ballistic barrage of attacks which Marcos was furiously trying to avoid, upon seeing an opening, Marcos parried one of Zephyr's kicks and retaliated with a move to give him some breathing room.

"Rocket Thruster!" shouted Marcos.

Fiery ki erupted from Marcos' fist as he nailed Zephyr with a powerful rising uppercut knocking the deity away from him. Zephyr again recovered in mid air making Marcos groan in disbelief.

"Zephyr still remains upright even after that attack, I tell you he's a stubborn deity," commented Triple R.

"Rick, I'd keep our comments about Zephyr to a minimum, I don't think he'd hesitate to kill us right now," suggested Sue.

"You have a lot of heart, it'll be quite a pleasure to rip that heart right out of your chest after your defeat," taunted Zephyr.

"My heart is one thing you can never take from me!" replied Marcos in a firm tone of voice.

Zephyr merely laughed as he he saw Marcos dash towards him, Zephyr fired forward a Light Kinesis orb to stop Marcos' charge, but Marcos circled around Zephyr and nailed Zephyr from the side with a quick combo into another Super Art.

"Toro Loco!" roared Marcos.

Marcos pelted Zephyr with a series of punches, he then chained his punches into a couple of Flamethrower Blows and finished the Super Art off with a powered up Rocket Thruster. Zephyr flew back again, but still did a mid air recovery and landed squarely on his feet. Marcos spit out some blood and rushed at Zephyr again with a Toro Charge.

"Deity Forcefield!" yelled Zephyr.

A strange looking multi-colored barrier surrounded Zephyr, as Marcos made collison with it, he flew backwards and landed hard on his back, he muttered a couple obscenities under his breath as he stood back up again.

"Still refuse to give in to your inevitable death, why prolong the suffering?" inqiured Zephyr.

"We all die someday, but I refuse to let you be the one to take mine or anyone else's lives, besides, it's not our time yet," replied Marcos.

"Oh, and what makes you think that, remember that I am a god, you cannot win," taunted Zephyr.

"Someone who seeks to destroy instead of create cannot be a god!" retorted Marcos.

Zephyr dashed forward with a teleport again, and aimed a sweep at Marcos, who quickly parried the sweep and aimed to retaliate with a Drill Punch, unfortunately, his move was parried as well and Zephyr countered with his own attack.

"Dark Elbow Smash!" hollered Zephyr.

Zephyr nailed Marcos hard with an elbow covered in dark energy, Marcos flew backwards, but while he was airborne, Zephyr juggled him with two Deity Headbutts. Marcos groaned again, Zephyr laughed maniacally as he saw Marcos lie on the ground groaning in pain. Once again though, Marcos slowly rose to his feet, Zephyr scoffed as he saw Marcos take his battle stance. Zephyr tossed a Dark Kinesis forward, Marcos blocked teh attack, Zephyr then decided to rush in with another powerful maneuver of his.

"Chariot Tackle!" shouted Zephyr.

As Marcos saw Zephyr rush at him he began his snake like movements the moment before Zephyr could make contact.

"Culebra Counter!" bellowed Marcos.

Marcos blocked Zephyr's tackle and delivered a fast and strong counter punch to Zephyr sending him backwards. Like all the other times Zephr was sent airborne, the dark deity recovered in the air and again hit the ground feet first.

"Marcos still continues to bring the fight to Zephyr, but will this modern day David have the strength to topple this modern day Goliath?" inquired Triple R.

"I wonder that as well, it seems like everything Zephyr has been hit with has barely fazed him, what will it take to knock him onto his back?" asked Sue.

Marcos slowly circled Zephyr, who continued to gaze at him menacingly, the boxer could feel the effect of Zephyr's moves racking his body, but he shrugged them off, he had no other choice but to.

"Damn it, what do I have to do in order to keep him off his feet? Whatever it may be, I better find out fast, I gotta make sure that all of us here have a future," thought Marcos to himself.

"Time for us to end this foolish game, I've got destruction to take care of," remarked Zephyr.

"I will not quit, not as long as I can move my body!" hollered Marcos.

"Well then, let's fix that, Meteor Strike!" screamed Zephyr as he unleashed one of his Super Arts.

A series of light and dark orbs rained down from the sky, Marcos went into a defenive pose, although the blocks softened the impact of the orbs, Marcos could still feel pain coursing through him as he eyed Zephyr with a grimace on his face. Meanwhile, the other fighters looked onward from the double doors as Marcos continued his uphill battle against Zephyr.

"I'm worried about Marcos, I don't know how long he'll be able to withstand that onslaught," said Unoka.

"He's taking a lot more punishment than any body should take," remarked Skye.

"Well, I still have faith, he's a tough one, I feel he'll pull through," stated Brock.

"I think so too, he does have a big heart too," added Xavier.

"As long as his soul and fighting spirit remain strong, he should be able to eventually find a way to usurp Zephyr," chimed Isabella.

"Still, something's amiss, I get the stench of death lingering in my nose," piped up Ryu.

"What are you talking about Ryu?" asked Kiyomi.

"Yeah, what's this about the stench of death?" inquired Mel.

"I feel the reaper is here for somebody, I get the feeling that one of us may expire today," answered Ryu.

"If that is true, hopefully it isn't Marcos, otherwise all of us will expire today," said Alex.

Illuminati Laboratory, early afternoon

"Brother, a great battle is going on, can you feel it?" asked Urien.

"Yes, my father is fighting the winner of the tournament, we need to get to his aid fast, I'm nearly done with the device, I just to adjust the proton to electron ratio a bit more and it should be ready to go," answered Gill.

"Hurry, time is running short Master Gill," called out Kolin.

"I'm aware, we will not allow my father to go through with his plans, I hope this will work," said Gill as he put the finishing touches on his device to rob Zephyr of his powers.

Zephyr's Island, early afternoon

"Marcos, you could use a miracle, hopefully I do get one, I can't allow Zephyr to be everyone's grim reaper," grumbled Marcos to himself.

Author's Note: Well, let's cut this off here. Next chapter will be the big conclusion to the Marcos and Zephyr fight. Will Gill get to Marcos and all the other fighters aid in time? Is Ryu right about someone dying? You'll have to wait until next chapter to find out, but until then, please read and review.


	61. Battle With Zephyr Part 2

**Chapter 60: Battle With Zephyr Part 2**

Zephyr's Island, early afternoon

The battle between Marcos and Zephyr continued to rage on as the battle cries of both warriors echoed througout the island. The whole world watched on from their television sets as they remained hopeful that the young boxer could find a way to knock the dark hearted deity onto his back. The tension was at its thickest inside that ring where all the fighters were witnessing this monumentous moment live.

"Why do you continue to fight me, when will you accept the fact that you are doomed to meet your death at my hands?" inquired Zephyr.

"On a cold day in Hell!" retorted Marcos.

Zephyr snickered maliciously as he saw Marcos take his fighting stance again, Zephyr merely teleported again and as Marcos threw out a punch to nail Zephyr as he reappeared, the deity parried the strike and retaliated with a kick no Marcos' stomach and sent him flying backwards with a Chariot Tackle. Marcos flew backwards and landed hard on his back, he quickly rolled back up however to see Zephyr charge him again. Marcos hastily dove out of the way before Zephyr's attack could connect with him. Zephyr threw out a Dark Kinesis towards Marcos who sidestepped the orb and spun forward with a Drill Punch to Zephyr's face. The attack connected cleanly, but Zephyr still did not fall.

"I don't believe this, Zephyr's still not falling, it's like his feet are magnetized or something," commented Triple R.

"It's scary, and I'm not ready to die yet," added Sue.

Zephyr teleported behind Marcos and tried to grab the boxer for a slam, Marcos swatted Zephyr's hand away and leapt back to get some breathing room. Zephyr tossed out a Light Kinesis which Marcos quickly blocked. Zephyr soon followed in his projectile and teleported in front of Marcos again.

"Light Elbow Smash!" yelled Zephyr.

Thinking instinctively, Marcos speedily parried Zephyr's elbow and his body glowed blue as he readied himself for a Super Art.

"Clock Cleaner!" shouted Marcos.

Marcos hit Zephyr with a quick uppercut and held Zephyr by the chin with one hand as he swung his other hand around in a clockwise motion. Marcos then swung his fist upwards in a swift motion nailing Zphyr with another hard uppercut that sent him skywards. Much to Marcos' dismay however, as Zephyr descended, he again landed on his feet. Marcos groaned in frustration as his battle continued to wear on.

"Don't you see, this is one hill that you will not reach the top of," taunted Zephyr as he looked at the grimace on Marcos' face.

Marcos did say anything he merely rushed in at Zephyr, however as Marcos got into Zephyr's vicinity, the deity knocked him away with yet another Deity Forcefield. Marcos flew back and landed on the ground again. However, he quickly performed another ukemi and was back on his feet in no time.

"Damn it, no matter what I throw at him, it's not enough to floor him. I hope the Fuego Del Toro will be enough to put him away, I don't what else I may have in my arsenal," though Marcos to himself.

Zephyr again rushed at Marcos and threw out a sweep, Marcos leapt directly up over the sweep, but before he could counterattack, Zephyr juggled Marcos in the air with two Deity Headbutts, knocking Marcos down again. The boxer again scrambled back to his feet in a hasty manner as he saw Zephyr fire off another Light Kinesis. Marcos blocked the energy orb, absorbing some damage, as Zephyr began another teleport, Marcos' body started to glow red signaling that he was aiming for the Hyper Art.

"Fuego Del Toro!" roared Marcos.

Marcos' fist glowed reddish orange as he riddled Zephyr with numerous flaming punches and Flamethrower Blows. The boxer then piraled upwards with a powerful rising uppercut and at the apex of his ascent, Marcos nailed Zephyr with a powerful right cross sending Zephyr sailing down to the ground. Marcos and the rest of the crowd watched wide eyed as Zephyr grew closer to the ground, but right before he made contact, Zephyr was able to right himself and land on his feet.

"Mierda!" shouted Marcos as he gazed in disappointment at his failed attempt to floor Zephyr.

"You almost had me, so no more games, this ends here!" boomed Zephyr.

As Marcos descended from his Hyper Art, Zephyr hovered into the air as a pair of angel wings, one white and one black emerged from his back signifying the release of his Purgatory Wing Super Art.

"Purgatory awaits you accursed soul!" roared Zephyr.

A strong burst of power filled the arena hitting Marcos with thirty powerful strikes, Marcos hit the ground with a sickening thud as he lay down writhing in pain.

"It's over, no one gets up from this move," taunted Zephyr.

"I can't do it, I'm not powerful enough," grumbled Marcos as he struggled to get back to his feet.

Just then, visions started to appear before Marcos, as he saw visions of his mother, father, sister, and grandfather encouraging him to get up.

"C'mon Marcos, an Ortega never throws in the towel, hang in there!" called out his family's images.

The images began to distort and reform into Raul and Crystal smiling at him.

"We believe in you, we know you can save us," said Raul's and Crystal's image in soothing tones.

Once again, the images slowly started to morph, this time into Gill and Urien looking at him sternly with arms folded.

"Do not let our tather fulfill his dark wishes, keep on fighting, the world depends on you," ordered Gill and Urien's images in unison.

As Gill and Urien's image faded, Dudley, Ken, and Chun-Li's image appeared before Marcos' chocolate borwn eyes.

"Don't let all that training we gave you go to waste, get back up and fight!" called out Dudley, Ken, and Chun-Li's mirages.

The image of his three trainers began to shapeshift again, this time into all of his friends that fought in the touranment with him.

"We all came here to save our dreams, to save what we love, we're counting on you to make sure they don't die, you can do it!" cheered on his companions.

Another image appeared before Marcos hshortly afterwards, the entire planet earth chanting his name and encouraging to continue the fight. As Marcos slowly started to sit up, he could hear the entire crowd, and his friends in the locker area chanting out his name.

"Marcos! Marcos! Marcos!" cheered everyone with high levels of energy and spirit. Marcos began to feed off of the energy as he slowly began to rise up again. He got up to one knee and looked up at the crowd.

"They're right, I haven't failed yet, I'll only fail if I don't get up now. As long as I can move, I will fight on, everyone is depending on me being victorious. Nobody's dreams are dying today!" hollered Marcos with confidence as he sprang back to his feet. Zephyr whirled around and his eyes nearly bulged out in disbelief that Marcos had risen after being blasted with the Purgatory Wing.

"Oh well, it's not like you have anything left, you'll soon expire, I'm sure of it," taunted Zephyr.

As Zephyr darted towards Marcos with a Chariot Tackle, Marcos parried Zephyr's strike at retaliated with a Flamethrower Blow. Zephyr staggered back from the blows and glared angrily at Marcos.

"Wow, we still have our lease on life, as Marcos refuses to say die!" commented Triple R.

"I feel hopeful now that we may live to see tomorrow," added Sue.

Zephyr teleported behind Marcos again and attempted to grab him for a throw, but Marcos then wriggled out of Zephyr's grip and reversed the throw by grabbing Zephyr and punching him in the gut numerous times before tossing him away, Zephyr still stood upright but Marcos was still pumped off of adrenaline and the crowd's energy. Marcos leapt into the air.

"Dark Elbow Smash!" yelled Zephyr.

Marcos parried Zephyr's elbow while still airborne and came down decking Zephyr in the face with a powerful right hook and chained inot a one two punch before unleashing a Super Art into Zephyr.

"Corkscrew Drill!" bellowed Marcos.

Marcos spun forward again hitting Zephyr with a powered up Drill Punch, Zephyr staggered back again, he still held his footing, but the deity was starting to grow increasingly angry.

"How are you doing this, you shouldn't be able to gain the upper hand on a god!" shouted Zephyr.

"I have a lot to fight for. I have dreams, I have people that I love, and so does every other human being out there. I can feel their spirits flowing through me, giving me the strength to carry on through this fight. As long as I'm breathing, I'm fighting," retorted Marcos.

"Well then, I can fix that, Soul Siphon!" hollered Zephyr as he prepared to unleash a Super Art to keep Marcos down. As Zephyr rushed forward, Marcos dove out out of the way before Zephyr could grab him for the Super Art, cuasing the move to be completely snuffed out. Zephyr groaned once again as saw Marcos flying in with a Toro Charge and nail him with it. Zephyr once again reeled back, but still remained upright. Zephyr aimed a high kick at Marcos' face, but Marcos grabbed Zephyr's leg with one hand and nailed him in the leg with the other hand. Zephyr jumped back a bit in shock as Marcos glowed blue again for a Super Art.

"Corkscrew Drill!" hollered Marcos.

Marcos spun forward whacking Zephyr with his powered up multi-hit Drill Punch. However, Zephyr was still able to keep from falling onto his bick, however, Marcos simply smirked as he glared at Zephyr with renewed determination.

"How are you possibly doing this, no mere mortal can topple a god, this is blasphemy!" gasped Zephyr.

"I've said it many times before, you cannot be a god if your goal to destroy and not to create. You've lost sight of what it truly means, I can't even pity you because of all the wrong you've done," responded Marcos.

"I do not need your pity, now enough talk, I believe that the apocalypse has been delayed long enough!" snapped Zephyr as he charged forward yet again. Zephyr aimed a Chariot Tackle again at Marcos who parried the blow and tried to retaliate with a grab, Zephyr jumped back however to avoid the grab and tried to hover in the air again for another Purgatory Wing, Marcos leapt up however and smacked Zephyr before he could unleash that Super Art again. Zephyr flew back and landed squarely on his feet to see Marcos coming at him with a flurry of rapid fire jabs, body blows, and hooks. Marcos' body glowed with a red aura again signifying that a Hyper Art was about to be released.

"Precipitacìon Ardiente Del Toro!" roared Marcos.

Marcos' fist glowed reddish orange again as he smacked Zephyr with a double fisted punch that sent Zephyr staggering back and as that happened Marcos started throwing punches out and fiery projectile in the shape of his fist burst forth every he jutted one of his fists forward. Marcos kept throwing out punches at a rapid fire rate filling the arena with the flaming fist projectiles, Zephyr kept on staggering as each fist hit him. After about thirty hits, Marcos charged forward again and nailed Zephyr once again with a powerful double fisted punch. Zephyr started to fall back again, everyone looked wide eyed as he went down and landed hard on his back with a loud thud. The whole crowd went wild as they saw Zephyr land on his back and Marcos pumped his fist victoriously.

"Oh my God, he did it! Marcos Ortega has ensured that we all live to see tomorrow, this is a great day for us all!" exclaimed Triple R.

"I'm so happy, our hopes and dreams will all continue to live on!" added Sue.

The rest of the fighters ran out to the arena and all embraced Marcos in a giant group hug to congratulate him as thunderous applause continued to fill the air around the island. Zephyr soon got back up again and roared in anger.

"Do not think this is over! I am not a god of my word! I don't care if I lost the fight, you will all still die today!" yelled Zephyr.

Isabella performed some quick healing on Marcos and him along with all the other fighters took their stances against Zephyr. As each fighter made a dash at the deity, Zephyr unleashed some powerful magic to hold the fighters in place as he charged up for his own Hyper Art.

"There will be no resistance here, no accept your punishment and may you all by devoured by a hundred demons," tautned Zephyr as he formed a giant shadowy ball of ki above his head. But before he could release the ball, a bright electric blue and purple beam shot forth nailing Zephyr, and as the frozen fighters looked at what was going on, they saw Gill and Urien running into the arena holding with them the device to strip Zephyr of his powers. Gill fired the beam forward as Urien held a container to put the essence of Zephyr's powers into. As Zephyr writhed in pain, he cluctched desperately to his shadowy ki ball. His magical hold on the fighters dissipated and they all watched as Gill and Urien depowered their father.

"We're almost done brother, our father's malevolent powers are almost completely drained!" exclaimed Gill.

"No, I will not go down alone, I'm taking you all with me! Apocalyptic Shadow Rain!" roared Zephyr.

"Get back everybody, I'll nullify his attack!" yelled Ryu.

"Are you sure about this, it's dangerous," cried out Isabella.

"Yes I'm sure, just get out of the way so you don't get killed!" responded Ryu.

Datta and Isabella teleported the rest of the fighters away from the vicinity of Zephyr's blast as Ryu charged up his own Hyper Art. A bluish-green ball of ki formed in his palms as blue lightning crackled in that area.

"Die!" yelled Zephyr as he shot his shadowy ki ball up into the sky. The ki orb broke off into numerous long and powerful beams all taking the shape of shadowy dragon skeletons and they all zoomed down towards Ryu.

"This is it, Shin Yagyou Dama Hadoken!" roared Ryu.

Ryu shot his gigantic bluish-green orb into the sky to snuff out Zephyr's Apocalyptic Shadow Rain. The giant orb intersected wit h the dragon skeletons high up in the air. Each of the dragon skeletons let out a loud shriek as it disintegrated in Ryu's ki orb. As the Shin Yagyou Dama Hadoken faded into the sky, Zephyr soon fell unconsious and Urien sealed shut the container holding Zephyr's powers.

"All is not well yet, I still sense death upon us, but why, Zephyr's been defeated," mused Ryu.

Unbeknownst to the martial artist, one of Zephyr's dragon skeletons avoided being snuffed out by Ryu's Hyper Art. The dragon swerved behind Ryu and shor right through him, leaving a gaping hole in his chest. The dragon skeleton faded into nothingness right after shooting through Ryu as the Japanese warrior fell to the ground, Gill, Urien, the other fighters, and the entire crowd in the stands all gasped in horror.

"RYYYUUUUUUUUU!" shouted Ken as he jumped down from the stands and ran over to his friend, who was gasping labourously, blood flowed from Ryu's wound as he looked up at Ken, the rest of the fighters all joined Ken and gathered over near Ryu.

"C'mon Ryu, don't die on us now," cried out Alex.

"You guys, don't worry about me, it's my time to go, and I don't regret it. I've led a fulfilling life and I'm proud to die as a fighter," gasped Ryu.

"You sacrificed yourself so we could live, there's no way we can pay you back for that," stated Mel.

"Yes there is, go out, live your lives, and continue to sharpen your skills as warriors, you all have so much left to live for. I've done everything I needed and wanted to do. I became a great warrior, I've mastered two fighting styles, I've avenged Master Gouken's death, I settled my score with Sagat, and through my travels around the world, I've many worthy adversaries, my life is complete, and as I fade from this world, none of my business has gone unfinished, but I must ask something from some of you," gasped Ryu as he continued to breathe hoarsely.

"Name it," said Sean.

"All of you, be good to those you come across in life, and I hope you all do well whether or not you continue the path of a fighter. Sean, Mel, you two are the two new masters of Ansatsuken, so it's up to you to make sure that our style doe not die. Whenever you feel you are ready to take on a student, do it so that Ansatsuken's legacy continues to live on. And Ken..." rasped Ryu.

"What is my friend?" inquired Ken.

"Remember your promise to me, train under Master Oro, learn the art of Senjutu so that way that style will not go extinct. I want Senjutu's legacy to live on as well, besides I believe Master Gouken would've wanted us to expand our horizons beyond the Ansatsuken style, so do this for me, Master Oro, and Master Gouken," said Ryu.

"I will do so, I'm gonna miss you Ryu," said Ken.

"I'll always be with all of you, and train hard, for when you pass on, I want to have a match with you in Heaven, farewell everybody," gasped Ryu.

"Until we meet again my friend," replied Ken.

And for the last time, Ryu and Ken tapped fists as a show of respect. A few seconds later, Ryu's fist went limp along with the rest of his body as his breathing and movement completely halted and his warm brown eyes closed forever. Ryu was a fallen hero to the world.

"You know, Ryu is right, you all have a lot to live for, and all of you that fought in tournament are very important to this world," stated Gill.

"That's what I'd like to know, what makes us so special?" inquired Alex.

"You are destined to be messiahs to lead the people into utopia when Judgment Day arrives. Each and every one of you have the characteristics necessary to be deemed as messiahs, so continue to train and fight hard, the world still needs all of you," answered Gill.

"Messiahs, that's some heavy stuff, and quite a bit to swallow," remarked Marcos.

"I understand, whether or not you choose to believe me at this time, I hope that when the time comes, you will heed the call to lead your kind into paradise. Do not Ryu's sacrifice be in vain," stated Gill.

Everyone nodded, showing that they understood Gill, who looked over at Ryu's lifeless body.

"My organization will cover the costs for Ryu's funeral, please tell me where you would like him to be buried," boomed Gill.

"Ryu always wanted to be buried with Master Gouken when he passed on, so please let him have that wish to be buried at the dojo where he grew up at," stated Ken.

"His wish will be granted, my brother and I must tend to our father right now. Take all the time you will need to mourn, but remain for that's what Ryu would have wanted," remarked Gill.

With that, Gill and Urien carried Zephyr's unconsious and powerless body away from the arena as everyone else had a moment of silence to grieve over the passing of Ryu.

Author's Note: Quite a surprise huh. I bet a lot of you didn't see this coming. But just because Ryu has died now does not mean he will be absent from the rest of the Z Project trilogy arc, but like any other dead character, his appearances will be limited to dreams and flashbacks. Anyways, there's only about five chapters left before the first part of the trilogy's end (which is this fic) and the next chapter will be Ryu's funeral. So I'm off to go work on that, but until then, please read and review.


	62. Farewell World Warrior

**Chapter 61: Farewell World Warrior**

Tokyo, Japan, 10:00 A.M.

Out in the secluded forest where Gouken's old dojo lied, a somber air filled the sky on the newly renovated dojo which Gill had spruced up and decided to have it be a shrine to honor every practitioner of Ansatsuken. However at that moment, the atmosphere was thick with sorrow as this was where the funeral service for Ryu was being held. Everyone that was at the tournament was in attendance to pay their respects to the fallen warrior who had nobly sacrificed himself to save everyone else from Zephyr's wrath.

"I never thought I'd live to see this day happen," grumbled Oro

"Death occurs for all, but I do feel that Ryu was robbed from us as well," commented Brock.

"Yeah, but Ryu died doing what he loved to do, fighting, he's happy wherever he is now," stated Marcos.

"Indeed he is, he was a great man," piped up Xavier.

"He was more than great, he was phenomenal," chimed in Tomoko.

"I couldn't agree with you more," responded Skye.

The decor of the funeral was traditional for a Japanese funeral with many lanterns around the casket in which Ryu's body lied in. Many of the people in attendance walked up to the casket to say some words to the deceased hero.

"Ryu, I will never forget the day that you left your mark on my chest..." started Sagat as he began to reflect on that fateful day

_Bangkok, Thailand, 25 years ago_

The balmy weather beat down on both Ryu and Sagat, making them glisten with sweat as they squared off against one another in the final round of the first Street Fighter tournament. Ryu looked up at the Thai titan standing in his path as he fired a Hadoken towards him, Sagat merely dodged the projectile and fired a Tiger Shot at Ryu which immediately knocked down the already weary warrior who lay on the ground battered and bloody from the blows Sagat had laid into him.

"It's over, you have nothing left, I can see that even with only one eye," commented Sagat.

As Sagat walked over to help the beaten warrior up to his feet, Ryu could feel a dark energy welling up inside of him as Sagat lifted him up, Ryu's eyes glowed red as he broke free of Sagat's grip and let out a loud roar as he ripped through Sagat's flesh with his Metsu Shoryuken, Sagat fell to the ground unconscious his chest bleeding profusely. Right at that moment Sagat's reverie ended.

Tokyo, Japan, present day

"...You taught me a lot though, to never assume when a fight is over, I'm glad we finally got to have a fair fight before you passed on, you were an honorable man and a more than worthy rival, you made me a better fighter. I thank you Ryu for coming into my life and teaching me that lesson, goodbye my fellow warrior," finished Sagat as he walked back to his seat. At that moment, Guile walked up to the casket.

"Ryu, I remember the time you made me try those horrid tasting fermented soybeans. I honestly don't know what you liked so much about them, but I guess I just didn't have the taste buds for them. However, you were always open to new experiences from what I've seen from you and your constant traveling and training. I'm gonna miss you my friend," stated Guile as he saluted Ryu before heading back to sit down. Makoto then slowly walked up to the casket and wiped a few tears from her eyes.

"Ryu, you always remained truly devoted to what you believed in, you swore to devote your life to being a true martial artist, and indeed you were. You ate, slept, and breathed martial arts, you gave us all something to strive for, we will all fight on for you," spoke Makoto as she bowed in a form of respect before walking away right as E.Honda headed up to Ryu's casket.

"Hey Ryu, I still remember when we fought each other many years ago. You truly were a great adversary and I respect you greatly my fellow countryman. It's your passion for fighting that really touched my heart..." said E. Honda as he started to reflect on his fight with Ryu.

_Osaka, Japan, 22 years ago_

On a tree laden road, Ryu and E. Honda were engaged in a friendly match, E. Honda flew in with his Oni Muso super however, Ryu was able to narrowly escape being hit by the giant sumo and retaliated with a Shinkuu Hadoken, knocking the E. Honda flat on his back and securing a victory.

"Ha, ha, that was quite an intense match, what I've heard about you is true, it's great to meet such a strong martial artist out here," laughed E. Honda as he got up sweating heavily.

"And I'm honored as well to fight a great Rikishi such as yourself," replied Ryu.

"I hope we get to fight again one day, until then, stay strong my friend," remarked E. Honda.

"Take care of yourself too," responded Ryu.

And with that the two Japanese fighters shook hands and walked off their seperate ways both sweating heavily from the match they had shared with one another.

Tokyo, Japan, present day

"Fighting you was a great honor, take care in the afterlife my brother," finished E. Honda as he made way for Isabella to come up and talk.

"After getting to know you at the tournament, I can truly say it's going to be sad not seeing you around anymore. You had a good soul and I will use that inspiration your soul gave me to do good things for others, thank you Ryu," said Isabella as he lightly kissed Ryu's forehead before returning to her seat just as Wilfred walked up to say a few words.

"I say Ryu my good man, you did help me get over my mid-life crisis, seeing an older man like yourself being able to handle anything that was thrown at you like you were still a young pup helped me feel I can do so as well. Thanks for helping this soon to be codger feel optimistic about being older," remarked Wilfred. He paused for a moment and took a deep sight before walking away right as Unoka headed up to the casket.

"Ryu, you were a hard worker, always ever vigilant when it came to your training, you never slacked off, that's something to admire. Thanks for being an inspiration in keeping our work ethic strong," said Unoka who then bowed to Ryu before making room for Chun-Li to go say something.

"I will say this about you, you were defiinitely one of the friendliest martial artists to ever walk the earth, Instead of putting down your opponents you defeated, you offered words of encouragement. Although you were dumb to the ways of the real world, you were a prophet in the art of fighting. Farewell my friend," said Chun-Li also wiping away a few tears before walking off right as Marcos walked up to Ryu's casket.

"Amigo, I remember watching you fight Ken at his mansion back when we were training for the tournament. Those words you said to us that day still stick in my head. Those words are what motivated to keep fighting through all my matches and gave me the strength to overcome Zephyr. You are indeed an inspiration, I'm glad I met you Ryu. Vaya con Dios mi amigo," spoke Marcos. He sighed deeply after his speech before walking off right as Mel headed up to say something.

"Ryu, I know why my dad thought so highly of you, you personify what it means to be a martial artist. I know your masters are proud of you, my dad's gonna miss not having you around to spar with anymore. And don't worry Ryu, me and Sean are gonna carry on the Ansatsuken legacy just like you asked us to, we're gonna miss you greatly," remarked Mel who saluted Ryu just as Alex headed up to the casket.

"Ryu, you're what motivates to keep fighting, ever since the day you kicked my butt, I continue to travel to get stronger, man it feels so long ago..."started Alex as he reflected back on his match with Ryu.

_Manhattan, New York, 13 years ago_

The sun was beginning to set on the streets of Mnhattan as Alex and Ryu fought a grueling match, Alex rushed in with a Slash Elbow, however Ryu parried the attack and did a two in one attack into a Shoryuken long before Alex could react, flooring the buff blonde warrior.

"Damn it, I can't even counter a single one of his blows," grumbled Alex as he lay on the ground wiping blood from his lip. Alex shook his head as he sat back up looking at Ryu who still looked fresh in comparison to Alex.

"C'mon this cannot be all you got," commented Ryu knowing that Alex had to have been stronger since he did win the third Street Fighter tournament.

"No way, it aint over yet, we only just began," remarked Alex who wiped his lip again and then tightened while gazing at Ryu with a smirk on his face. Ryu smiled back and took his battle stance yet again.

"All right, let's do this again!" called out Ryu as he and Alex charged at each other to continue to their high adrenaline match.

Tokyo, Japan, present day

"...I wish I could've fought you again, but I'll keep growing stronger that way when we meet again in the afterlife, I'll give you a much better fight than I did last time. Goodbye Ryu," said Alex as he bowed his head and said a silent prayer before sitting back down. Ken then walked up to a podium right near Ryu's casket right as everyone sat down and pulled out a sheet of paper. Scribbled on the paper was a eulogy that Ken had written for his fallen friend.

"My friends, we have all gathered here to pay our final respects to Ryu, a phenomenal martial artist who made the ultimate sacrifice to make sure that all of us who are in attendance today were alive to see today, now I will read a eulogy that I have written for him," chimed Ken as he took a quick glance at the paper the eulogy was written on. Ken cleared his throat as he prepared to speak yet again.

"Ryu was a man of honor, discipline, commitment, grit, and many other virtues. Orphaned at a young age, he was taken by Master Gouken and absorbed the ways of martial arts into his body, mind, heart, and soul. Like everyone else who has lived, he went through many challenges in his quest to be a great martial artist, from having Gouken ripped from him, to struggling with his own darkness and having criminal organizations try and use his strength for their own gain. Through it all however, Ryu prevailed stronger than he was going into the situation. Ryu always loved a good challenge, be it physical, mental, or spiritual, although he was aloof in regards to the real world, he was a genius in the arts of fighting and all of us came out of our time with him a lot wiser when it came down to combat sense. He was a great friend, a great warrior, and just all around a great man. He will be greatly missed by all those whose lives he touched. He gave us all a new lease on life so we should not squander it. So everyone, take the advice Ryu gave you and apply it to your life to help him rest in peace. So farewell my friend, we all look forward to having a match with you in the next life," spoke Ken.

Right as Ken finished the eulogy, some people in attendence applauded, others got a little misty eyed and wiped their tears away.

"That was beautiful Ken," commented Kiyomi.

"I know Ryu is probably smiling down on us right now," added Datta.

"Thank you, I think it's time we put him to rest now and go bury him with Master Gouken like he wanted but first, let us take a moment to pray for Ryu," stated Ken.

And with that, everyone bowed their heads in silence and silently said a prayer for Ryu, afterwards, Ken walked over and closed the casket that Ryu's body lay in. Then him, along with Sean, Mel, Kiyomi, Marcos, and Brock all grabbed the casket and carried it over to the site where Gouken was buried, everyone else followed suit as the casket was slowly lowered into the ground. Shortly after the casket was completely lowered, many of the atendees threw down memoirs they had of Ryu into the hole just before. the grave diggers began to fill the hole and as they did their duty, all the fighters that had the ability to harness projectiles fired their respective projectile into the air as a means of saluting Ryu. After the funeral service was over, Ken, Sean, and Mel all stepped inside Gouken's dojo and looked around at the old building. Inside the dojo lay a sign written in kanji lettering that read "The Right Path Is My Path" the three Ansatsuken warriors looked over at the sign which was hung right above pictures of each Ansatsuken practitioner from Goutetsu, to Gouken and Akuma, to Ryu and Ken, all the way to Sean and Mel.

"You know you two, that sign speaks the truth, you must carve your own path as far as your life goes, and whatever you do I support it," said Ken.

"Thanks master, we also want to honor our style as well, and so when we find someone worthy of passing on our teachings to, we will do so," replied Sean.

"Yeah, but we'll also continue to enjoy our lives as well, what about you dad, what is your path?" asked Mel.

"I know my path, I'm going to honor my promise to Ryu and train in the art of Senjutu, but I will never forget my roots as a martial artist, and will forever this place that is sacred to my heart, and hopefully to yours as well," answered Ken.

Mel and Sean nodded, and the three all left the dojo and headed off with the rest of their friends to their hotel they were staying for the next morning, it would time for all of them to finally go back home.

Author's Note: A sad ending huh, well this was meant to be the in memoriam chapter for Ryu. However I will relegate this trilogy as an AU since I know Street Fighter IV will be nothing like this. Anyways, the next chapter everyone says their goodbyes to each other at least until Shi Kashira Akuma (the second part of the trilogy) and all the fighters go home, and then the last three chapters are next will be the epilogue. Anyways, I'm off to go work on the next chapter, so until then, please read and review.


	63. Warriors Go Home

**Chapter 62: Warriors Go Home**

Tokyo, Japan, 8:00 AM

The following morning, all the fighters and their accomplices were all gathered in Tokyo's Narita Airport waiting for their respective flights to go home. Being a generous deity, Gill had paid for all their plane tickets home and everyone stood in the terminals waiting for their flights to board.

"It's gonna be great to be back home, I'm glad that I know that we all have a future now," remarked Marcos.

"Yeah, as messiahs for Gill's utopia, thinking about that is quite scary, yet exciting at the same time," added Tomoko.

"However, to know that we'll be able to lead our family and friends to salvation does give me the incentive to keep myself in shape," said Xavier.

"Indeed, plus we still all want to give Ryu a good fight when we all meet up with him after we die," replied Alex.

"Well, I'd love to stick around, but I must get going," chimed in Quentin.

"Where will you go?" asked Skye.

"Wherever monitor cyborgs are still active is where I will be, I will not rest until all traces of Shadaloo are gone from this world," answered Quentin as he once again donned his metal mask and turned around.

"Take care Quentin and good luck on your quest," called out Unoka.

"And I wish you all the best as well," replied Quentin as he walked out of the airport and off to wherever his fate would take him.

"Oblique, do you still wish to have your humanity back?" asked Gill.

"Yes I do, I d-d-don't want to...have to hide in the sh-sh-shadows forever," answered Oblique.

"Then you, Necro, and Effie should return to my headquarters before I send you home, that way I can administer the cure to all of you," said Gill.

"V-V-Very well, then let us be off," stammered Oblique.

"Good luck in your future Gyorgy, and same to you Illia and Effie, I hope to see you in your true forms," called out Isabella.

"Thank you!" replied Necro, Effie, and Oblique in unison as they headed out to the Illuminati chopper waiting for Gill and flew off towards the Illuminati base to have their mutations dispelled from them.

"Flight 1248 to Berlin is now boarding!" called a receptionist over the intercom.

"That is my flight, I thank you all for helping me save my brother," piped up Hans.

"No problem, so what are you gonna do now?" inquired Chela.

"Enjoy our newly regained freedom, and cherish it," answered Gunter.

"Ja, Poison will pick us up from the airport and take us back home from Munich," said Hugo.

"Until we meet again my friends, goodbye!" spoke Hans as he waved goodbye to the rest of the fighters before boarding the plane with Gunter and Hugo. As the plane flew off, a cell phone ring was heard among the crowd of fighters.

"Hello," answered Cody pulling his cell phone out of his pocket.

"This is your shuttle driver, I'm outside to take you to your place in Nagoya," spoke a voice over the phone.

"Our ride home is here guys, time to go," called out Cody.

"It was good getting to meet you all, I can tell that you'll all be strong even if you don't continue down the path of the warrior," remarked Sano.

"Thanks Sano, take care on all your endeavors as well buddy," replied Quock.

"I will continue to fight as long as evil remains in this world, that is the code of Bushinryu," stated Sano.

"We'll all be cheering you on in your everlasting mission," commented Godo.

Sano saluted his companions and then turned around to follow Cody, Maki, and Guy out of the airport and into the shuttle van that would take them all the way back to Nagoya.

"Flight 219 to Toronto is now boarding," said the receptionist.

"Heh, well, I guess my fun with you guys is over for now," quipped Pietro.

"You better keep yourself in shape, because I still want to fight you again," called out Brock.

"Don't worry eh, and I'll be a lot more polished next time you see me, and I'll have some Stanley Cup gold as well," responded Pietro.

Pietro and Remy waved goodbye to everyone before boarding their plane to head back home to Canada, at that moment another plane began to get ready to board.

"Flight 220 to Hong Kong is now boarding," called out the receptionist.

"That's our flight you two, it'll be good to be home," said Yin.

"Yeah, I can't wait to see Shaomei again after this whole ordeal," replied Yang.

"I hope Hoimei doesn't start bitching at me the moment we step off the plane, I wanna just take a nap when I get home," grumbled Yun.

"Heh, and I wanna do so too before I begin working on my next film," added Quock.

"Well, good luck to all of you in protecting your village, and Quock, we'll look forward to seeing on you on the big screen," said Wilfred.

"We'll see you all again someday, after all we all have a common goal now being that we know that we're important to the future of this world," replied Yin.

"We'll all fight for what we believe in!" added Yun.

"See you all whenever," said Yang.

Yun, Yang, Yin, Quock, and Fei Long all bowed to the other fighters out of respect and boarded their plane immediately afterwards. Soon the plane flew off, and another one was getting prepped to board its passengers.

"Flight 324 to Washington D.C. is now boarding," called out the worker on the P.A. system.

"That's my flight, the work of a Secret Service agent is never done," commented Vicki.

"Agent Small, it was a pleasure to work with you, I hope we get to work together again in the future," said Wagner.

"I hope so too Sergeant Wagner, and may fortune smile upon all of you, as long you don't do anything illegal," remarked Vicki.

Vicki and Cammy saluted the fighters and slowly did an about face and boarded the plane to D.C. ready to report a successful mission to Vicki's superiors. About fifteen minutes later, their plane took off and the fighters all watched as the plane disappeared into distance.

"Man, I'm gonna miss having the company of all of you around," said Kiyomi as she noticed the number of familar faces around her shrinking.

"Hey, we'll all see each other again Kiyomi," affirmed Mel.

"Indeed we will, it is written in our future that we will all cross paths again, when, I have no idea, but we will all be reunited in the near future," spoke Rose through Isabella's body.

"I'ts a bit haunting knowing that we do have planned out destinies," remarked Marcos.

"Flight 971 to Mexico City is now boarding," announced the P.A. system.

"That's my cue to say hasta lugo to all of you, until the time for our encore rolls around," stated Chela.

"At least you'll finally get some recognition for your martial arts skills now, and don't trip about what the tabloids may say about you," advised Frederick.

"Don't worry, I won't let that get to me," responded Chela.

"It's been a lot of fun mon, take care you all," called out Dee Jay as him and Chela waved goodbye to their amigos before getting onto their plane back to Chela's hometown ready to take on the press that would swarm the moment she set foot on Mexican soil.

"Flight 306 to London is now boarding," called the P.A. system.

"I say there, I must bid cheerio to all of you now, it's been a smashing good time getting to know you all though," said Wilfred.

"Take care man, and enjoy the rest of your life man," called out Xavier.

"Sure will chap," replied Wilfred.

Wilfred and Eagle finished saying their goodbyes to everyone and then boarded their plane back to jolly old England.

"Flight 362 to Seattle is now boarding, all passenger to the proper terminal," boomed the P.A. system.

"Back home I go, I'll see you when I do," said Amy.

"I'll keep in touch with you, take care my love," commented Datta.

"You have nothing to fret over honey, I'll be all right," replied Amy as she kissed Datta lovingly before her and Guile boarded their flight back to the land of the stars and stripes.

"Flight 925 to Calcutta will no board its passengers," called out the P.A. system.

"Now I must depart to resume my job of aiding the impoverished in my country," stated Datta.

"You are indeed a good man Datta and we wish you all the best in what may come your way," remarked Tomoko.

"You're words are greatly appreciated, I look forward to fighting alongside all of you again," responded Datta as he and Dhalsim waved goodbye to all their friends and then teleported inside the plane back to India.

"Flight 408 to Atlanta will now board," spoke the P.A. system.

:"I'm off now, it was a pleasure getting to hang with you guys and gals," chimed in Frederick.

"Good luck with your family's dojo Frederick, we expect great things out of you," said Mitsukake.

"Thanks, and good luck at all you do everyone," replied Frederick as he blew kisses to all the females before boarding the plane with Blanka and Dan.

"Flight 707 to Rome is now boarding in Terminal 2," said the P.A. system.

"I must now depart from this place and return to my dwelling, but we will all meet again soon," spoke Isabella.

"We'll see you when that time comes," added Rose as Isabella waved goodbye to her friends and stepped aboard her plane. After Frederick and Isabella's planes flew off, another one was getting ready to board.

"Flight 825 to Phoenix will now board," announced the P.A.

"Now begins my arduous task of rebuilding the tribal land Zephyr ruined," stated Skye.

"Don't worry, my dad's company gonna donate to your cause, so is the Kanzuki Corp, Dudley, and even Wilfred's company will as well," called out Mel.

"Your generosity will not go unrewarded, thank you all," responded Skye as she hugged all her friends and then boarded her plane home with T. Hawk.

"Flight 415 to Nairobi is now boarding," announced the P.A.

"I return home now to pursue my own path in life, I bid you all farewell, until we cross paths again," remarked Unoka.

"See you then my friend, and I hope you will enjoy married life," stated Xavier.

"I'm sure I will, and I'll always fight to protect my family," replied Unoka as him and his fiancee Aisha said their goodbyes and stepped aboard their plane and shortly afterwards flew off back to their native land of Kenya.

"Flight 2384 to Los Angeles will now board," announced the P.A.

"And so I'm off to my abode now, I look forward to working with you all again," said Wagner as he walked towards his terminal.

"Godspeed Sergeant Wagner," piped up Alex.

Wagner saluted his comrades and then did an about face before marching aboard his flight back home. Just then, Ibuki's cell phone started to ring.

"Hello," answered Ibuki.

"Hey, this is your cab driver, your cab that'll be taking you to Kyoto is outside waiting for you," said the voice over the phone.

"Hey Makoto, our cab is here!" called out Ibuki.

"Well this is so long until we meet again," chimed Makoto.

"Take care of yourselves, and Ibuki, I'll come visit you soon," said Sean.

"Aw, I look forward to that, and I'll see you then," responded Ibuki as she passionately kissed Sean.

"All right, Ibuki, let's not keep our driver waiting too long," groaned Makoto as she grabbed Ibuki and started dragging her out of the airport with Retsu following closely behind.

"I can walk on my own Makoto, let me go," cried out Ibuki as Makoto continued to pull her by her shirt out of the airport.

"Flight 326 to Rio de Janeiro is now boarding in Terminal 4," said the P.A.

"That's my cue to say goodbye to you guys, but I'll see you all soon," piped up Sean.

"Keep on training Sean, after all, it's up to us now to carry on Ansatsuken's legacy," stated Mel.

"Indeed it is, don't worry about me though, I'll find my student when I'm good and ready," affirmed Sean as he bowed to everyone before boarding his plane home.

"Flight 811 to Sydney will now board at Terminal 3," said the P.A.

"Ok mates, I'm taking off now, it's been a great time getting to hang around all of you, I look forward to fighting all of you again," stated Brock.

"Hey, you'll get your rematch the next time we meet," replied Marcos.

"I'll be ready for you when that happens," affirmed Brock as he bowed to his friends before joining Paul and Sagat in stepping aboard his flight home to the land down under.

"Flight 1055 to New York City will now board," said the P.A. system.

"Yeah, I finally get to see my wife and kid again, and go back to wrestling!" exclaimed Xavier.

"See you guys soon," said Kiyomi.

"Take care until then, and keep your fighting senses sharp, and your souls untainted," advised Alex as him, Xavier, and R. Mika waved goodbye to everyone before boarding their flight back to the Big Apple.

"Flight 617 to Beijing is now boarding," announced the P.A. system.

"Back to China, just in time for me to start college," commented Kiyomi.

"What's your major?" asked Godo.

"Business is my major," answered Kiyomi.

"Good luck with that Kiyomi, and I'll be keeping in touch with you, I'll come see you during my winter break," called out Mel.

"Until then Mel, I love you," said Kiyomi.

"I love you too," replied Mel as him and Kiyomi kissed each other before Kiyomi boarded the plane with Chun-Li. Only five fighters remained in the airport and three of them were already home.

"Flight 510 to San Francisco will be boarding soon," said the P.A.

"Back to the Bay Area, it's gonna be good to get mama home and back to the family," commented Marcos.

"We also should head home ourselves as well, we just wanted to keep you all company until you left," stated Tomoko.

"Well that was nice of you," remarked Mel.

"Anytime, we'll see you around soon," said Godo.

"Hey don't forget, your mom has to mow my dad's lawn since you lost our fight," informed Mel.

"Damn it, anyways, the limo is here you guys, let's go home," suggested Karin.

"See you later," called out Tomoko as her along with Godo, his girlfriend Yumi, Mitsukake, Karin, Sakura, and E. Honda all departed the airport.

"Ken, don't forget about fulfilling your promise to Ryu. I will allow you time to take care of whatever you may need to, but do not waste too much time, for I do not know how long I can cheat death. I shall wait for you at Gouken's dojo," informed Oro.

"You got it, I'll come see you when I'm ready," replied Ken.

Oro bowed to the fighters out of respect and also departed the airport.

"Flight 510 to San Francisco will now board," announced the P.A. system.

"Well, let's go home Marcos, our lives are calling us," suggested Mel.

"Indeed, time to go out and honor our promises to Ryu as well, to live our lives to the fullest," commented Marcos.

Mel nodded in agreement as him, Marcos, Crystal, Rosalinda, Dudley, Ken, and Eliza all boarded the plane back to the golden sate. All the fighters had gone their seperate ways, but they all knew that the time would come for them to reunite again. When that time would come for them, not even Gill knows the answer. However, each of the warriors from that tournament would remain at the ready that important call.

Author's Note: The story is almost over, the next chapter will be the epilogue which will span from one to three chapters. I can't believe I'm nearly done with this. I'm getting pumped up to begin work on the second part of this trilogy. Anyways, I already got quite a few new OCs planned out and I want to incorporate some SF4 newbies once Capcom shows us some of them. Anyways, I'm off now to go work on the epilogue of this fic, until then though, please read and review.


	64. Epilogue

**Chapter 63: Epilogue**

Illuminati Base, time unknown

"Father I cannot be like you and exterminate you. I'm going to simply keep you here in my dungeon and hopefully while in here, you'll come around and see the error of your ways, may you have an epiphany soon," stated Gill as he locked his now powerless father away in the Illuminati dungeon. Zephyr looked out the windows that hung over the vast dungeon. He could see only water stretching beyond the island that the Illuminati base lay on. The depowered deity let out a heavy sigh.

"I'm still uncertain as to how I could fail to defeat even one man to secure my plans for destruction. Even more so, I'm surprised my son shows mercy towards me and allows me to live. What's going on, have I really lost sight of what it means to b a god?" thought Zephyr to himself as he moped about in the dungeon. Meanwhile, Gill was sitting on his throne giving orders to Kolin.

"Kolin, we must take precautions necessary to protect the messiahs that fought my father, we cannot afford to lose any of them, I must ask for your assistance in helping me protect them as I cannot trust Urien to do so," said Gill.

"I will gladly do so my love," answered Kolin as he embraced the half red, half blue being. Unbeknownst to them, Urien was silently watching from the corridors of the base, scheming against his older brother.

"You're right not to trust me brother, for I shall not help you in that cause, I wish to take over the world for my own desires, and if I cannot do it with my own power, then I shall get my own 'messiahs' to do my dirty work with me," cackled Urien as he looked over at the mind controlled Illuminati assassin Noir standing right next to him.

"Come, we have much to do in order to overthrow my brother," ordered Urien to Noir. The French female simply nodded and followed Urien to his destination.

Munich, Germany, 10:00 PM

In a local German pub, Hans and Gunter Van Bratten were busy enjoying their newly regained freedom by drinking and making merry in a pub with Hugo and a bunch of their other friends.

"Ah, it's great to be a free man again," remarked Gunter.

"Indeed, the situation we had with Zephyr has taught me a valuable lesson brother, I will take freedom for granted again," stated Hans.

"I agree with you on that," replied Gunter.

"So, being that you're a messiah for Gill's utopia and all, what are you gonna do now?" asked Hugo.

"Make sure no one ever gets robbed of their freedom again," answered Hans.

"That's a noble cause brother, and I shall support you in any way possible with whatever you may do," chimed in Gunter.

"I shall do the same for you as well Gunter, but until that day comes I'm going to live my life to the fullest and reap the benefits of freedom every day," replied Hans as he downed his pitcher of beer, took out his accordion and began to play "Roll Out the Barrell" on his instrument causing the entire bar to break out into song.

Toronto, Canada, 10:25 AM

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome back to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Angry Moose, Pietro Omakovski!" commented the announcer of the hockey game.

As soon as his name was announced Pietro skated out to the ice with a deafening roar from the crowd accompanying him onto the rink. Pietro took a microphone in his hand and raised it up to his mouth to speak.

"My fellow hockey fanatics, and teammates. I'm glad you accept me back on the ice. I'm happy to know that I'm living to see today and even though I may be destined to save the people, I have no qualms about kicking ass on the ice. So who is ready to see the Angry Moose gore the opposition!" spoke Pietro.

The entire crowd went into a frenzy as Pietro spoke, the Canadian hockey star smiled brightly as he looked at his surroundings.

"This is what I fight for, what I will harness my anger to protect at all costs. Hockey is where my heart is," thought Pietro to himself as he placed his helmet on his head and his stick in his hand and readied himself to do what the thing he was most passionate about.

"Ready to go wild Pietro?" asked Pierre.

"Damn right I am eh," answered Pietro right as the whistle was blown to start the game.

Hong Kong, China, 4:00 PM

"All right everybody, take five!" yelled the director.

Quock Xie stepped off the set as the director, Le Huy Siu threw a bottle of water at the martial artist. Quock grabbed the bottle and took a swig from it.

"Good work Quock, this seems to be your best thus far," commented Le Huy.

"Thanks Le Huy, I just feel reinvigorated knowing that the tabloids are off my ass now about faking my moves," replied Quock.

"Hey prima donna, how goes your close up!" called out Yun's voice to Quock. The martial arts movie star whirled around to see the Lee siblings along with Hoimei, Shaomei, and Kaoru all looking at him grinning.

"It's going great, so you wearing the pants or the dress today?" asked Quock.

"I think it's obvious I wear the pants in my family," answered Yun.

"I dunno brother, I've seen Hoimei punk you a few times back in the day," chimed in Yang.

"Hey, I'm trying to make a point here!" snapped Yun.

"Anyways, it's good that things have gone back to normal here now that Gill is back in his rightful position as leader of the Illuminati," said Yin.

"Yeah, are you sure this normalcy will last for very long?" asked Kaoru.

"I know, who knows when Gill may need us to fulfill our destinies of leading the people of this planet into utopia," stated Quock.

"I'm still skeptical on it aand prefer to not thikn about it," said Yun.

"It doesn't bother you at all?" asked Yang.

"Nope, unless it actually does happen, I'm gonna continue to make my own future the way I want to, I hope you'll follow that path as well," answered Yun.

"Yeah, I'm all for that as well," replied Yang.

"Me too!" added Yin.

"Count me in," chimed in Quock.

"The future is all of ours to shape!" boasted Yun with confidence in his voice. Everyone else nodded in agreement.

Nagoya, Japan, 7:00 AM

In Sano's house, Sano Tezuka was busy zipping up a bag filled with supplies as if he were headed off on a wilderness trip of some sort. As he finished up his packing, Maki, Cody, and Guy all walked into his room to check on him.

"Sano, are you sure you're ready to go on a quest like this?" inquired Maki.

"Yes, I want to allow my birth parents to rest peacefully," answered Sano.

"Good luck on your adventure, you know you're always welcome to come back here if you ever need to," remarked Cody.

"I know, but I must remain persistent until the Yakuza member that took their lives is brought to justice," replied Sano.

"You have all the tools necessary to be a worthy heir to the Bushin style, do not forget them and you shall succeed in your mission," piped up Guy.

"Thank you, I shall return, I do not know when, but I will, until then, I will go wherever God takes me in my journey, if Gill calls for me, tell him to follow the wind's trail," answered Sano as he strapped the duffel to his back, bowed to Guy, Cody, and Maki and walked out of the door to begin his quest to avenge the murder of his birth parents.

Atlanta, Georgia, 2:35 PM

"That was a good class everyone, see you all on Monday!" called out Frederick to his students. As they all left the dojo, Frederick grabbed a towel and wiped off the sweat that dripped down from his face. Frederick's family and friends watched on from the sidelines applauding the Tae Kwon Do expert

"Well done Frederick, and congrats on getting our family's dojo back," commented his father Emerson.

"And it's good to see you made promise on returning in one piece," added his girlfriend Natalie.

"Well since I am back in one piece, how about I exercise a piece of me that's been longing to get some exercise," suggested Frederick while looking at Natalie.

"Already, aren't you tired from all that fighting?" asked Natalie.

"No way, I can go all night long!" answered Frederick.

Natalie chuckled lightly as her and Frederick ran off to go take care of some business.

"That's our Frederick for you Blanka," stated Dan as he patted Blanka on the back who then inadvertently shocked him causing the pink clad man to convulse on the floor.

"Whoops, sorry...about that Dan," said Blanka sheepishly as he looked at his electrically charged friend writhing on the floor.

London, England, 9:15 AM

At the Black Estate, Wilfred and his family, along with Eagle we're sitting down to a breakfast of bangers and mash with coffee.

"So, how's breakfast for you hun?" asked Emily, Wilfred's wife.

"It's absolutely smashing love, you always we're a great cook," answered Wilfred.

"You seem to be alot more chipper as of late Wilfred, I think you really have gotten over your mid life crisis," chimed in Eagle.

"Yeah, thanks to Ryu, seeing him in action made me feel more optimistic about being older. But unlike him, I know I cannot fight forever, so I want to pass on my abilities to someone else," replied Wilfred.

"Really, who are you gonna find Dad?" inquired his eldest son Ian.

"You, I want you to carry on the fighting style Eagle taught me," answered Wilfred looking at the slim brown haired youth.

"But Dad, you know I already know how to fight, and you want me to become a carbon copy of you," responded Ian.

"No son, I don't expect you to become the same as me, but never limit yourself to just one style, learn as much as you can, it may help you along the way," replied Wilfred.

"Wow, you sure learned a lot from that Ryu bloke, wish I could've met him," said Ian.

"He was wise beyond his years, that's a wisdom I hope to acheive in my elder years," said Wilfred.

"Yes, for strenght is nothing without wisdom," commented Eagle.

Wilfred and his family nodded in agreement and then Wilfred resumed telling Ian about Ryu and about having him carry on Eagle's fighting style.

Washington DC, 11:00 AM

"Agent Small, well done on retrieving the Z File from Zephyr, the information within this file could be dangerous if the wrong hands ever got a hold of it,, we're going to take precautions to make sure this file is so well secured no one ever gets their hands on it again," said Vicki's boss.

"Thank you sir, it was all in the line of duty to protect our government and it's people," affirmed Vicki.

"You and Agent Biggs have done so much for all of us, I'm promoting the both of you immediately, and also, another mission has come up that I'd like you to work on as well," said the boss.

"What is it about?" asked Vicki.

"There's been a series of murders going on in Spain, no one seems to know whose behind all these killings, one of them was agent on vacation in Barcelona, so therefore we're being assigned to investigate it," answered Reginald who walked into the door.

"What, we better get right on it then Agent Biggs!" exclaimed Vicki.

"I already have the plane tickets, we just need to get all the tools we may need because who knows how lengthy this investigation may be," replied Reginald.

"Does not matter, I'll keep my nose to the grindstone until the case is solved, no one will commit injustice against any of us ever," remarked Vicki as she ran out of the office with the fire in her soul burning brightly.

Mexico City, Mexico, 12:00 AM

"Tonight on El Cucuy, we have the singing martial artists sensation, Chela Castillo dropping in to tell us about an adventure she went on to sav the world from annihilation, and here she is now!" announced a Mexican talk show host nicknamed El Cucuy.

The moment she was announced, Chela stepped out into the stage to thunderous applause. Dee Jay accompanied her on stage while her friends and family all sat in the front row of the audience.

"Gracias for having me on the show tonight," piped up Chela.

"You're welcome, so how is it now that the world knows that you're also a strong fighter in addition to a talented vocalist?" asked El Cucuy.

"Wonderful, because now people are getting more of the real me, fighting is like music, you always strive to perfect your style and all styles of fighting have a rhythm and it's imporatant to be in tune with that rhythm," answered Chela.

"Deep words, so what's next for you?" asked El Cucuy.

"I'm gonna keep doing what I love to do, I'm gonna sing for those that love my music and keep on fighting to protect those that need protection, and maybe to beat the snot out of a few annoying paparazzi," answred Chela.

The entire crowd laughed and applauded at Chela's response, as the applause died down, the interview continued.

"I hear you also wrote a song about the whole ordeal at the tournament, would you care to share it with us?" asked El Cucuy.

"Sure, the song is dedicated to the man who sacrificed himself so I could be here today performing this for you all, this song goes out Ryu, God rest his soul," answered Chela.

Chela's band came out and started to play the song as Chela took a microphone in her hand and started to gracefully sing her song that she had dedicated to the memory of Ryu.

Calcutta, India, 10:00 AM

As the sun beat down on the Indian landscape, Datta walked around temple grounds with Amy who had come to visit him along with Guile and her mother Jane. Dhalsim and his wife Sally also accompanied the group.

"Datta, you have a lot of work ahead of you to help the numerous imporished folk here," commented Amy.

"That may be true, but I will persist, your uncle has agreed to help out in funding my cause, so that will be very beneficial to the organization that I'll be putting together to aid these folk that need some type of aid," answered Datta.

"That's nice of Uncle Ken, he's really some great things with his family's fortune, I'll have to thank him for that when I next see him," replied Amy.

"So where are you taking us Datta?" asked Guile.

"It's a secret," answered Datta.

"I already know what is going to happen here," thought Dhalsim to himself.

Datta led the group into the temple where many elephants stood symmetrically on both sides of the temple and many monks stood in there chanting in Hindi as a young woman descended an altar with something on a pillow, Datta took what appeared to be a ring and turned to the others and knelt down.

"Datta, what are you doing?" inquired Amy.

"Amy, for so many years, we've known each other, we've been friends for so long, and over time, our friendship blossomed into so much more. My dad doesn't even need to read my mind to know that I love you and that I'd love to spend the rest of my life with you, so Amy, will you marry me?" proposed datta as he held up the ring to Amy who smiled and fought to hold back some tears.

"Yes! Of course I'll marry you, I'm so happy!" exclaimed Amy as Datta placed the engagement ring on Amy's finger, she gripped him tightly and the two engaged in a loving kiss as Guile, Dhalsim, and all the others watched on with joy in their hearts.

Edwards Air Force Base, California, 4:25 PM

"Sergeant Wagner, for barvely and nobly placing your life on the line for the fate of the world, not only will you be promoted, you are to receive a medal from the president himself!" informed the Chief.

"Thank you sir, it is an honor to receive all this," replied Wagner.

"You are indeed a valuable asset to the United States Air Force, I'm honored to have you in my squadron," remarked the Chief.

"Thank you sir, it is an hnor to serve my country and protect those that need our protection!" responded Wagner.

Wagner and his Chief saluted each other and as Wagner departed the office, he grinned to himself as he headed back to his barracks to prepare himself for a flight out to D.C. to meet the president.

"Who knows what else awaits out there, but Vicki would want me to be ready to face it head on, so I'm not gonna disappoint her, it'll be good to see her again," thought Wagner to himself as he packed his suitcase and looked at the stripes on his BDU shirt. No longer was he a Technical Sergeant, he had been promoted to Master Sergeant.

Tokyo, Japan, 8:50 AM

In the halls of Tamagawa Minami High School, Godo Kanzuki had just finished his classes for the day and before heading back home to do his homework, he decided to pop in on his science teacher, Mitsukake Kagatoshi, and shoot the breeze with him.

"Hey Mr. Kagatoshi, how does it feel to be the winner of the Teacher of the Year award?" inquired Godo eyeballing a shiny trophy on Mitsukake's desk. The science teacher turned around, adjusted his glasses and smirked at Godo.

"Great, although now I havee an entire flood of students wanting to take my class and sadly I don't have enough room for all of them," answered Mitsukake.

"I know how you feel, I've been beating the girls off of me like crazy, not literally, but I know not to fool around with anyone while I have myself a girlfriend," replied Godo.

"I'm sure your mom and Sakura are getting a kick out of all this hoopla surrounding the both of us," stated Mitsukake.

"They sure are, but still, even if you hadn't fought, you'd still be the coolest teacher in the school in my opinion," remarked Godo.

"Thanks, and you'll always be one of my exceptional students even after you graduate," said Mitsukake.

"Even so, we both share a common role as messiahs for Gill's utopia, so just know I'll always have your back Mr. Kagatoshi," commented Godo.

"And I shall do the same for you Mr. Kanzuki, now let's go, I'll give you a lift home," suggested Mitsukake.

The two nodded and as they left the classroom they had to plow through a throng of crazy fans of theirs in order to reach Mitsukake's car and then they soon drove off into the distance towards the Kanzuki household.

Moscow, Russia, 7:10 PM

An Illuminati chopper hovered over the landscape of Russia, it slowly descended to the ground ready to let out some passengers. One was a slender brown haired man clothed in a white shirt and pants with a brown vest and loafers. One was a slim blonde haired woman in a red dress, and the final passenger was a black haired man in orange prison getup along with black boots. Gyorgy Kaminski, Illia, and Effie, and all regained their human forms, no longer wer'e Illia and Gyorgy known as Necro and Oblique.

"Yay, we're finally home!" exclaimed Effie.

"And free of the Illuminati's grasp on us, so now I can restart my life and hopefully accomplish my dreams of prosperity again," addded Illia.

"That's great, and I wish you all the best of luck with that, but I'm going to have to bit farewell to you both here," piped up Gyorgy.

"Huh, what do you mean Gyorgyu, you're not coming with us?" asked Illia.

"No, I can't come back, I'll just get thrown back in prison, I want to begin anew as well, but I must do so elsewhere," responded Gyorgy.

"Where will you go Gyorgy?" questioned Effie.

"I think I'm going to reside in Calcutta with Datta and assist him in aiding the poor folk over there, I feel that will be a great start for me on my road to redemption for all my wrongdoings," answered Gyorgy.

"I'm gonna miss you buddy, it's a shame you can't come back with us because of your status here," cried out Illia.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine, just do me one favor, tell Vladimir that I'm ok and that I thank him for all he's done during our time that he gave us shelter," requested Gyorgy.

"We will do so, and hey we'll come and visit you sometime," chimed in Illia.

"Until then though, take care my friends," said Gyorgy.

"You too," replied Illia and Effie as they hugged their friend. Gyorgy waved goodbye to his two best friends as the chopper flew off towards Calcutta where Gyorgy planned on starting a new beginning for himself.

Cairo, Egypt, 3:00 AM

A pile of scrap metal lay on the sandy grounds that expanded over the land of Egypt. Towering above the mechanical of what seemed to be a cyborg was Quentin, who tightened his white gloves and let out a deep sigh of relief asa he gazed down at the broken robot lying at his feet.

"Good, one more Shadaloo cyborg out commission. I have no idea how many more are out there, but I persist until they are all wiped off the face of the planet," mumbled Quentin to himself

"If you want, I can help you track the remaining cyborgs down," piped up a voice behind him.

Quentin whirled around to see a woman with her pink hair done up in an eccentric style, she wore glasses over her bright blue eyes, and was clad in a black suit.

"And who might you be?" inquired Quentin.

"Just call me Crimson Viper, and I can assist you in your cause, let me come wiht you," answered the woman.

"Very well, just don't try anything funny," warned Quentin.

"Don't worry, I won't, you have my word," replied Crimson Viper.

And without another moment's hesitance, the two walked off into the night going wherever monitor cyborgs still remained lingering about.

Kyoto, Japan, 6:00 PM

After a long day of training a bevy of new students, Makoto walked outside and reclined on the prch of her dojo, the sun was setting on the horizon as Makoto gazed off into the sky wiping the sweat beads away that dripped down from her forehead.

"Whew, what a day, Retsu was right about having a bunch of students interested in my style after watching me fight. But I can't disappoint them," stated Makoto.

"That's the same Makoto I know, all work and no play!" called out Ibuki's voice from out of nowhere.

"Ibuki , this is no time for games, where are you hiding?" asked Makoto.

Ibuki leapt down from a tree near the front of the dojo clothed in all black ninja garb with a white sash that had written in kanji lettering on it, grand master.

"You're way too hyper to be a ninja grand master, I can't believe you were chosen to lead your clan," said Makoto sarcastically.

"And you're too anal to be a sensei of martial arts," retorted Ibuki.

"Whatever, so how is your relationship with Sean going?" inquired Makoto.

"Good, he's coming to visit me after he's done with the US Martial Arts tournament, I look forward to seeing him, I expect my clan to welcome him with open arms," replied Ibuki.

"You'll never change will you?" asked Makoto.

"No, why would you want me to?" inquired Ibuki.

"That's not a bad thing, you're fine the way you are, maybe it's time I find myself someone," thought Makoto.

"Heh, you're already a firecracker in battle, I'd hate to be the poor guy that has to sleep with you," joked Ibuki.

"Shut up!" snapped Makoto.

"I'm just playing with you, if you need help, just ask me, I'm an expert with what guys like," said Ibuki.

"Sure, I'll keep that in mind, so about a match?" suggested Makoto.

"I'd never thought you'd ask, so let's get to it!" exclaimed Ibuki.

And with that, the two best friends battled in the sunset of Kyoto.

Genoa, Italy, 1:15 PM

The wedding bells of a chapel rang out along the town as two couples had just tied the knot in the same day. Isabella DiMarino had wed her fiance Giovanni, and Unoka Muir married his longtime love Aisha. Both couples rand down the stairs of the chapel in joyous glee.

"Congratulations to both you of you couples, may your married lives be filled with happiness," called out Elena as she applauded Unoka and Isabellaa and their momentous day.

"The fates are smiling upon us today, as long as we stay true to the vows we've made, both of us will have happy lives with our spuses," replied Isabella.

"I agree with what you said, and since we both play an integral role in Gill's plans, we must remain ever vigilant in never forgetting to remain loyal to those we love," added Unoka.

"Darkness will always remain, whenever we are needed, we must heed that call should it beckon for us," spoke Rose through Isabella.

"No problem, I'll always be at the ready and will keep my skills finely tuned in preparation for when the time comes to use them again," responded Unoka.

"As will I Rose, you have our word," added Isabella.

"Good, now go enjoy married life, and best of luck to both of you on this commitment," said Rose as Isabella got into a limo with her husband and Unoka got into another limo with his wife and they both drove off into the distance.

Tucson, Arizona, 2:45 PM

Out on the landscape where the Thunderfoot tribal land lie, the members of the Thunderfoot tribe we're hard at work in rebuilding their tribal land, the money they had received from Dudley, the Masters Corporation, and the Kanzuki Zaibatsu was being put to good use.

"Sacred blood, running through my body, listen to my words, I will make sure that my land gets back to it's former glory, and no one will ever destroy it again," said Skye.

"Skye, from what I've seen you do at the tournament, I know you'll be a great tribal leader and a great successor to our ancestors' fighting style," chimed in T. Hawk.

"Thank you, I will not disappoint, especially since I'm a messiah for Gill's utopia, I have a lot of people looking up to me, I will always fight on!" exclaimed Skye.

Sydney, Australia, 11:00 AM

The waves crashed over the beaches of Sydney as Brock Irvine and his friend Paul walked out of blue waters carrying their surfboards in hand.

"I tell you mate, it feels good getting to ride these waves again, it's good to be alive," commented Brock.

"Yeah, I'm glad that Marcos fellow beat Zephyr otherwise we wouldn't have been able to enjoy this day," piped up Paul.

"Indeed, but anyways, even though I won't ignore surfing completely, I need to pump up my training even more, fighting the champ of this tournament was a thrill and I'd love to fight him again in the future and show him that the Muay Thai that Sagat showed me is the strongest," remarked Brock.

"Just don't get arrogant, like I said, I don't want you to wind up like Adon," warned Sagat.

"Not to worry master, I'll be sure not to do that, to honor both you and Ryu, I'm sure he's happy with the profress you made in life," commented Brock.

"I look forward to the match I will have with him when I pass on," stataed Sagat.

"Now I'm in no rush to die, I want to enjoy life as much as I can, but I also look forward to fighting Ryu when I pass on as well, but until then, I'm gonna live my life to the fullest!" exclaimed Brock before he ran back into the ocean to ride another wave.

New York City, New York, 6:30 PM

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome your CWA Tag Team Champions, O-Zone, and the CWA World Champion, X-Clamation!" announced Triple R.

At that moment, Xavier and his best friend Omar sauntered out into the arena both carrying their tag team gold around their shoulders. Xavier also had the championship belt tied around his waist as all the fans applauded upon seeing Xavier walk out into the ring, his wife and son sat in the front row supporting the beloved tag team as well as his manager Mika.

"Rick I tell you, these fans sure love this tag team, and they're especially glad to see the CWA back in the right hands and to see X-Clamation entertaining them once again!" commented Sue.

"And if you look closely you can see that Xavier's sporting a red headband, as his tribute to the great martial artist Ryu, who made it possible for good old X-Clamation to return to the ring," added Triple R.

After revelling in the applause washing over him, Xavier pulled a microphone out of his pants pocket and waited for the applause to die down before finally speaking.

"Finally, X-Clamation is back on top in the CWA! But I wouldn't be here entertaining the millions of fans out there tonight had it not been for a man who gave everything to ensure we all had a future to enjoy the things we love. Ryu, I dedicate this next match to you, rest in peace my friend," spoke Xavier.

Xavier paused for a moment as the crowd started chanting his name, he looked over at his partner and at his family in the stands and then continued to speak.

"Now, bring out our opponents, cause me and O-Zone are gonna put an X-Clamation Point on this victory!" boasted Xaiver sending the crowd into a frenzy as he tossed the mic to the side and got himself prepared to wrestle.

Beijing, China, 9:30 AM

Kiyomi sat on her bed in her college dorm typing up an assignment on her laptop, just then, a knock on her door was heard, drawing Kiyomi's attention away from the assignment in front of her.

"The door is open, come on in," called out Kiyomi.

The door creaked open and Chun-Li walked into the dorm, Kiyomi greeted her adoptive mother with a hug.

"Kiyomi, how's college life treating you?" inquired Chun-Li.

"Hectic, all these papers and assignments due is making my head spin, I honestly think fighting Zephyr is a cake walk comapred to getting a degree in Business," answered Kiyomi.

"After seeing all that yu've been through, I know you can handle it. Anyways, I came to tell you that Ken invited us out to watch him, Mel, and Sean fight in the US Martial Arts Tournament, would you be willing to come?" asked Chun-Li.

"Of course I would, I can always e-mail my homework to my teacher, and besides, it would be nice to see Mel, I haven't seen him in a long time," answered Kiyomi.

"You know, I think I'm going back to actively fighting as well too, I don't want to get too out of shape even though I may be getting older, I still care about my health," said Chun-Li.

"That's great Mom, I look forward to that, I'm glad you know your goals in life and will fight from them, I'll fight for the guture of all the kids you've taken care of as well, thanks for everything you've ever given me," replied Kiyomi as she embraced her mother again.

"You're welcome, now let's get ready to go see our friends again," suggested Chun-Li.

Kiyomi nodded and began packing her bag ready to go see her boyfriend back in the United States.

Tokyo, Japan, 1:05 PM

As the sun shone down on the big city of Tokyo, Tomoko Nakamura was taking a relaxing ride on her motorcycle. However, while parked at a red light, she stopped to check her watch and realized that she was to meet E. Honda for lunch. As soon as the light turned green, Tmoko revved up her bike and sped down the streets as to not keep her friend waiting for too long. Upon arriving at the restaurant, Tomoko hastily parked and secured her bike before walking into the restaurant to find her old biker gang waiting for her at the entrance.

"Oh great, what do you all want with me now?" grumbled Tomoko.

"Don't worry, they mean you no harm," chimed in Noriyuki who walked out from the herd of gang members.

"Are you sure about this, this isn't some ruse to make me let my guard down," inquired Tomoko in a concerned tone.

"He's telling the truth, your gang has had a change of heart," stated E. Honda who walked out from the restaurant with a big grin on his face.

"You see, after your risked your skin to save all of us even though we turned our back on you once you reformed, we realized that we were fools to do so. You bettered yourself, and well, we want to follow your example, so we're gonna help in keeping the streets clean," announced Noriyuki.

"Wow, I never knew my fighting would inspire you all to clean up your acts," gasped Tomoko.

"Another thing is, we want you back as our leader, to help us with our new cause," said Noriyuki.

"Sure thing, someone needs to watch over you to makee sure you don't stray from your path, now let's ride, after we eat," ordered Tomoko.

"I couldn't have said it beetter myself," commented E. Honda as him, Tomoko, and her newly reformed gang entered the testaurant to grab some food.

Manhattan, New York, 11:35 PM

Alex had just exited the gymnasium after a rigourous workout and was headed home to relax when all of a sudden he heard a loud noise. Alex then ran over to see what the commotion was about.

"You're going down motherfucker!" yelled a random gangster who along with a bunch of his cronies cornered another man, a tanned man, muscular in build, with dark hair done up in a short ponytail and a neatly trimmed goatee. He was clothed in a dark gray tank top, black jeans, and brown boots, one of the gangster's cronies charged at the man, who merely sidestepped him and then grabbed the thug and delivered a Full Nelson slam to him. Numerous hooligans darted towards the dark skinned man in attempt to exterminate him, each of them would get easily knocked away by the young fighter. However, the numbers of the thugs soon overwhelmed the man and they held him down as the leader pulled out a pistol ready to blow the young man's brain out.

"Your shit ends right now!" barked the leader of the thugs just before Alex rushed in and knocked the thug leader down with a Slash Elbow also causing him to drop his gun.

"You punks make me sick, get the hell outta here!" bellowed Alex.

Upon seeing their leader get floored, the remaining thugs focused their attention on Alex, only to all get toppled like dominoes. After getting thoroughly thrashed, the hooligans all quickly dispersed as Alex looked over at the young man who just watched on in awe.

"You all right kid?" asked Alex.

"Yeah, I am. But man that was awesome, but I expected that from the champion of the third Street Fighter tournament," answered the dark skinned man.

"I see you know who I am as well, you got a lot of potential, tell me your name," said Alex.

"My name is Delmar Langston, I just moved back ere from Puerto Rico," chimed Delmar.

"I like your style Delmar, ow would you like to become my student, I can teach you some new stuff, plus keep you off the streets," suggested Alex.

"Sure thing man, I'd be honored to train under the great Alex, I'm pretty sure my pops would like that as well," replied Delmar.

"Ok, I'll get you home, but tomorrow, you begin training with me, we'll meet at Central Park, your path to being a great warrior will begin then," commnted Alex.

"Thanks, I owe you a lot Alex, and I won't let you down," remarked Delmar as him and Alex walked down the streets off to Delmar's house.

Oakland, California, 9:55 PM

"Ladies and gentlmen, the winner by knockout, and your new World Heavyweight champion of boxing, Marcos Ortega!" announced the boxing announcer.

In the middle of a boxing ring, Marcos raised his fists triumphantly as he held his brand new title belt in his hands, his family and friends, as well as Dudley all ran out to the ring to celebrate with Marcos on his accomplishment. Shortly after the celebration as Marcos headed back to the locker room, Dudley approached his student and embraced him again.

"Well done Marcos, I must say you've exceeded my expectations for you and I am glad to say that you are my pupil," commented Dudley.

"Gracias Dudley, and you've been an outstanding teacher as well, thanks to you, I was able to pull off the victory at the tournament and it's everything you taught me that got me the championship belt here tonight," replied Marcos.

"One thing though, don't let all the success you've been having go to your head, I don't want you to start slacking off on your training now," warned Dudley.

"Don't worry, I won't, my dad won't let me do that anyways, plus since I know Gill's plan for me and every other fighter that was a the tournament, I plan to keep my self in top shape," responded Marcos.

"Your words are true, but in order to make sure you don't stray from those words, I'm going to get back into the ring as well, so stay sharp for you never know when you may have to face me," stated Dudley.

"I look forward to that day, and I promise to give you my all when that day comes," stated Marcos.

"Hey Marcos, let's go, the clubs aren't open twenty four seven you know!" called out Raul from afar.

"Go on and have some fun, but remember the words you've told me tonight," said Dudley.

"I won't forget, this bull's horns will never get dull from negligence!" boasted Marcos as he ran off with his friends to enjoy his victory.

San Francisco, California, 10:10 AM

Mel Masters and Sean Matsuda had finished changing into their gis and walked over to the gynasium area of the mansion where they saw Ken training himself dilligently.

"Mel, Sean, I'm sure you two know this will be the last US Martial Arts Tournament that I will be participating in," announced Ken.

"Yes, because after this you will be heading off to train under Oro right," affirmed Sean.

"That's correct, I can't keep Oro waiting forever, and besides, it's time for you two to shine and the new masters of Ansatsuken, I've taught you every trick in the book and I expect you guys to make me proud," stated Ken.

"No problem Dad, even with my college days coming up, I won't forget to train, since me and Sean have big expectations to live up to, we'll work extra hard to make sure we live up to them, and then some," replied Mel.

"And when we find someone worthy to pass on these teachings to, we will not hesitate to take them under our wings," added Sean.

"However, we will also pursue our own dreams as well with the same ambition we have in our martial arts studies," remarked Mel.

"Good, as long as you do that, you should be successful in whatever you two aim for, I wish you both luck on that," chimed Ken.

"Arigato!" responded Mel and Sean in unison.

"Now you know I aim to retire undefeated from these tournaments, but don't let it come easy to me, make me work for it," ordered Ken.

"You got it!" replied Sean.

"Will do Dad, and good luck to you in this and your training in the Senjutu style," commented Mel.

"Thank you, it's up to us to make sure that both Senjutu and Ansatsuken live on, we must not fail in our missions," stated Ken.

Mel and Sean nodded in agreement and the two stepped into the ring to begin their training regimen with Ken.

Unknown Area, time unknown

Clouds surrounded a region that lied nowhere on the world map, a bright white light shone all around the region. From out of the clouds, a man in a white gi and red headband looked downwards with a smile on his face. Ryu was watching over his friends from Heaven and was proud of what he was seeing.

"Good luck in all that you do my friends, I miss you all, but shall see you when you come to this place," commented Ryu.

Just then, another man walked up behind Ryu and tapped him on the shoulder, it was a man in a dark blue gi similar to Ryu's, he was bald and had a thick gray beard, it was Ryu's deceased master, Gouken.

"They'll all do fine my student, now come with me, we have much work to do," said Gouken.

"Yes sensei!" replied Ryu.

As Gouken and Ryu walked off into the eternal landscape of Heaven, Ryu stopped to take one more look down at his friends.

"May the path of the warrior lead you to prosperity," said Ryu as he vanished off into the horizon happily reunited with his master and father.

The End

Author's Note: That's it, this fic is finally over. Originally I was going to split the epilogue into three chapters, but ultimately decided to knock it all out in one. The first part of the trilogy is over, and the second part, Shi Kashira Akuma which means Four Head Demon will be arriving later this year, with more new OCs and of course some SFIV characters like Crimson Viper. On another note, for those of you who read the whole fic, I'm offering a survey for you to take, if you'd like to take it, let me know, for it will help me make SKA a better fic when I begin writing it. And now I'd like to give my thanks out. Thanks goes to iceangelmkx for being a faithful reader and letting me use Wagner as well. DeNice for reading the fic and allowing me use of Yin and Kaoru (who will be getting a bigger role in SKA). Chan Yoruyamatiha for reading the fic and allowing me use of Mitsukake. JTurner for reading and allowing me use of Triple R and Sue. Metal Harbinger and bushinguy for being a faithful reviewer and offering me a lot of good suggestions. And thanks to everyone else that has read this fic and/or reviewed it as well. I promise to make the sequel even better. But until I begin that sequel, please read and review. We await your return, warrior!


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